


Revealed in Time: For Younger Audiences

by WhitleyMiranda



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Attack, F/M, Identity Reveal, Reveal, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:48:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 60,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29182794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhitleyMiranda/pseuds/WhitleyMiranda
Summary: Marinette is sent 8 years in the future by an akuma. While there she discovers a grown up Chat Noir and more about her future than she could have ever imagined.This story is almost exactly the same as my original Revealed in Time. However, this version has been cleaned up for younger readers. I recommend this version for readers ages 13 and below.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	1. Where am I?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [All of my students](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=All+of+my+students).
  * Inspired by [Revealed in Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19434817) by [WhitleyMiranda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhitleyMiranda/pseuds/WhitleyMiranda). 



Marinette had never been one to make mistakes in battle. That just wasn’t Ladybug’s thing. She had the freaking power of luck on her side for Pete’s sake. Chat was the unlucky one. He was the one always being hit by the akuma’s attack, not Ladybug.

But here she was, cocooned by a blinding whiteness that danced and flashed, ever pulsating as it bended and refracted into a myriad of seemingly sporadic splotches of colors. 

The light spun around her, totally encompassing everything within her vision, her mind rummaging through all the possibilities of the effects of this akuma. First step. What did she know? Sure she had seen a few other people get hit, but what had really happened? Usually the effects of an akuma’s powers were quite obvious, but these people had simply vanished, leaving Marinette with only questions.

Where did they go?

Where was  _ she _ going?

Having just arrived at the scene of attack, she hadn’t had time to figure out what exactly the akuma was doing. In fact, now that she thought about it, Marinette didn’t even know the akuma’s name - that, in itself, was usually a big hint to the results of the akuma's powers.

She rubbed her eyes, her surroundings slowly coming back into focus. Readying her stance, Marinette prepared to jump back into action. She took a deep breath.

_ One. _

The dim outline of the Eiffel Tower became slightly recognizable in the distance.

_ Good, at least I know I’m still in Paris.  _ She exhaled, her shoulders relaxing at the sight of familiarity.

_ Two. _

She could now make out the rooftop entrance to her left. So... she  _ hadn’t  _ changed positions.

_ Three. _

Everything came rushing back into focus, and Marinette was ready, ready to end this and get on with her day. All she had to do was formulate a plan and…

_ Where is the akuma?  _ She hesitated, not seeing the villain in any direction.

It had been close enough to hit her. Surely not enough time had passed for it to get away.

_ Wait… where is Chat? _

He had just been right next to her. Where had he gone? 

Checking herself out, relief spread through the heroine’s body. Nothing seemed to be wrong or out of the ordinary: she wasn’t a zombie, a toddler, or even frozen in time. 

_ Time. _

The word exploded throughout Marinette’s head as the realization of its reality bloomed within her mind. Maybe she had been encompassed in that light longer than she thought. It was entirely possible that the fight had simply moved somewhere else while she had been stunned by that blinding light. Scanning the Parisian skyline from the rooftop on which she stood, Marinette looked for signs of the battle. Screams could usually be heard for miles from an akuma attack, but Marinette heard nothing. In fact, the civilians which she saw below didn’t seem panicked one bit.

_ Hmm.  _ Marinette scratched the top of her head while continuing to look around.  _ Maybe Chat beat the akuma while I was surrounded. All that would be left for me to do is to find that silly cat and cleanse the akuma. _

She scanned the city once more, but saw no clues as to the direction she should go.

Marinette pulled out her yoyo. If she couldn’t find Chat by looking, she would just give him a call. Surely he would know what the heck is going on. 

With the button pressed and the line ringing, Marinette looked towards the Eiffel Tower.

Odd. Hadn’t the sun been on the other side? Based on the position of the sun, it should currently be around six o’clock in the evening. But hadn’t it just been around eleven in the morning?

“Evening, m’Lady,” Chat’s melodious voice sung from her yoyo. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you tonight.”

Marinette turned her attention to the little screen.

“What do you mean, tonight?” she panicked. “What is going on, Chat? How long has it been since I was hit?”

This must have been the akuma’s power; she must have been sent forward in time.

Marinette watched the screen in frustration as Chat’s brows scrunched together and his head tilted slightly to the side. 

Why didn’t he seem to know what she was talking about? Shouldn’t he be freaking out that she had disappeared for such a long time? He had been standing right next to Ladybug when she had been hit. Surely he had seen it happen. So why wasn’t he more excited to see that she was fine? It wasn’t like him to be…

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he slowly responded, tilting his head even further to the side. “Is everything okay, Marinette?”

Marinette froze, her heart seemingly stopping within her chest.  
_W-what?_

The yoyo fell from her trembling hands.  
_This is not right..._

Nothing about this situation was right at all.

Chat Noir didn’t  _ know _ her identity.

Just the day before he had begged Ladybug once again to reveal themselves. He couldn’t have figured it out in that short amount of time.

“Marinette,” Chat’s worried voice rose from the forgotten call, “what is going on? Are you in some sort of trouble?”

The dazed superhero could barely catch her breath, her vision becoming spotted. Why was he saying her name as if it was some kind of common thing between them? How could he just throw this on her like this.

Chat continued to plead with her to respond - the longer she kept silent, the more and more panicked he began to sound. She knew she should say something to ease his mind, but she couldn’t will her body to do it. She felt as if she was in one of those dreams where her limbs would not move and her voice could not make a sound no matter how much she tried.

“I don’t care how long it takes me to get there,” Chat’s muffled voice went on. “I’m coming to get you. Just give me a second to pull up your loca…”

He suddenly stopped mid sentence, leaving only the sound of Marinette’s now racing heart pounding in her eardrums. How long had he been silent? Marinette couldn’t tell. Every second felt like a minute, causing her to feel more and more numb.

“Oh no,” Chat slowly stated, clearly having discovered something that he didn’t like. “Ladybug,” his speech quickened, “I know that I have royally screwed up, but there is an explanation for all of this. Just please wait where you are at.”

Strange, rustling sounds pierced through the call alerting Marinette to the fact that Chat was on the move. 

He was coming to her location.

She had to get out of here. She couldn’t let Chat find her like this.

But her body just would not move.

“I know you must be freaking out that I know your name,” his voice gently continued. “I’m sorry for scaring you like that, and,” he faltered, “I’m sorry for what you are about to witness.”

*Thud*

Chat Noir landed a few feet behind the still frozen Marinette, her heartbeat accelerating at his presence.

She couldn’t turn to look at him.

She couldn’t do anything.

“You must be so confused,” Chat softly broke the silence. “Please let me help you understand the situation.”

Marinette’s muscles tensed at the sound of Chat’s voice.

Something was wrong.

It sounded like Chat speaking, yet at the same time, he sounded entirely different. 

“I know you think we were just in the middle of an akuma attack,” his strange voice added. 

Had his voice gotten lower? Was he sick or something? 

“And that’s true,” he continued. “For you at least. But that akuma didn’t just have you trapped for a few minutes or even hours like you must be thinking.”

He paused, clearly trying to think of how to phrase the next part of his explanation. Marinette knew it must be something bad if he was trying this hard to come up with a way to delicately say it. She thought it sweet how he seemed to care about her reaction, but sugarcoating the words wouldn’t change anything. It would be better if he was just straightforward and just came out with it.

“How long was it then?” she blurted, surprised that her lips had actually spoken.

Chat stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“Before I answer that,” he breathed, “I want you to know that eventually you will return to the day you left. You haven’t been missing, so you don’t need to worry about your friends or your parents.”

Marinette unwittingly shuddered beneath his touch, not liking where this answer was headed.

“How long?” her voice boldly demanded an answer.

Chat took in a deep breath, slowly exhaling. 

“Eight years.”


	2. Adjustment

Marinette still could not get her mind to wrap around what Chat Noir had said. Eight years? There was just no way that eight years could have already passed. But, as Marinette stood, staring at Chat, there was just no denying the fact that he had to be right.

She had been gazing at Chat for the past fifteen minutes, trying to take in his new appearance. For one, his hair wasn’t in its usual state of being an unkempt mess; it looked nice - sophisticated even - if she had to come up with a word to describe it. But it wasn’t his hair that had Marinette’s mind flailing: it was everything else. 

The last time Marinette had seen Chat, he had the body of a lanky, awkward seventeen year old. His face still had the look of a young boy, and honestly, Marinette had never really looked any further into him than that.

But now, Chat was anything but boyish, with his broadened chest and hardened abs. Marinette was having a hard time trying not to imagine what that obvious six-pack must look like without the black.

Then there was his face.

Oh gah.

His face.

It was clear to Marinette that this was still the same Chat. Everything relatively looked the same - the way he slightly lifted his eyebrow as he silently watched her stare, the mischievous grin he had made when she had finally built up the courage to turn around - but instead of just seeing her goofy teenaged partner, she was looking into the face of a man. 

His features somehow seemed to be more sharpened, more defined. And Marinette could not get past the slight bit of stubble which handsomely framed his chin.

Marinette mentally kicked herself when she caught herself thinking of the handsomeness of Chat, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. 

Truthfully, she was quite thankful of Chat’s kind patience. He hadn’t said a word to her since he had answered her question, merely allowing her to soak everything in within her own time.

Marinette didn’t know how long it had taken her to turn around, but she figured it must have been a while. She half expected Chat to be gone when she peered back, but sure enough, there he was with kind eyes and a knowing glance.

That was until she openly gawked at seeing his changed features. He couldn’t resist responding in slyness, clearly enjoying the reaction that his appearance had caused. However, it didn’t take long for that moment to fade, leaving him in a state of gentle curiosity.

It was kind of cute, the way in which he simply waited for Marinette to take the next step. His behavior kind of reminded her of…

Wait.

“How did you figure out who I am?” Marinette impulsively blurted, reflexively taking a step towards him.

Chat’s eyes widened and he jumped back at her sudden speech and movement. Quickly regaining his composure, he straightened his stance, taking his own step towards the inquisitive bluenette.

“You blindsighted me!” Chat accusingly pointed his finger in Marinette’s direction. “You figured it out first and came straight up to me and called me-” He bit his lips, sucking in a deep, nostril flared, breath. “You came right up to me as Chat and called me by my real name.”

“What?” Marinette quickly questioned. That didn’t sound anything like something she would do. And wait… she figured out his identity first? The future Marinette knows who Chat Noir is? Well, of course, that would make sense seeing as how he knew her name, but still. 

_ Hold on! _

There had to be a Marinette, a Ladybug somewhere in the future here if what he had said was true.

“Where is the other Ladybug?” Marinette asked while crossing her arms. “If it’s true that I returned to the past, shouldn’t there be another  _ me _ here.”

Chat scratched the back of his head, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. “Well, you see… that is how I figured out you were the wrong one. I mean, not the Ladybug from my time. Because she is on a business trip in Milan, and when I opened my tracking device, I saw two blips on the screen: one in Italy and one in France.”

“Of course,” he rambled on, “that was when I remembered her telling me about the time she was stuck in the future, and it all sort of just clicked.”

Marinette stared at the nervous blonde. Even though his body had greatly matured, he was still just the same old awkward Chat Noir.

“I wish I had figured it out sooner,” his eyes dropped to the ground. “I definitely made things a lot harder for you by spilling your name like that.”

In that moment, Marinette felt a twinge of her stomach. She couldn’t stand seeing Chat Noir look so sad and upset for something he never meant to happen.

“It’s ok.” Her voice soothed as she closed the remaining distance between them, reaching her hand up to lift his chin. “You have nothing to regret. Obviously, I trusted you enough to tell you my secret. And you know what? I feel kind of relieved, knowing that we will both one day know. Now I don’t have to be afraid to tell you. It’s obvious that you have accepted who I am.”

Chat smiled, his face lighting up like a child waking up to Christmas. “Thanks, Marinette,” he whispered, grabbing onto her hand underneath his chin. “I needed that.”

Marinette gently slid her hand from Chat’s grasp, then while flicking him on the nose, she turned around saying, “Anytime Chat. Now,” a serious tone entered her voice as she peered out at the darkening skyline, “seeing as how you know a bit about this crazy adventure, how long am I going to be stuck in this place?”

Chat sighed. “A few days? You never really told me an exact answer. All I know is that I apparently took you home, we stayed together for a few days, and then  _ poof _ , you were magically back in your own time.”

Turning back to face Chat, Marinette raised her brow at him. “What do you mean you took me home and stayed with me for a few days? Whose house are we talking about? Mine or yours?”

The felined hero pondered for a moment. Marinette wondered if this was really that hard of a question. But then again, maybe she hadn’t told him everything, maybe he really didn’t know.

“Uh…” he finally started to answer, scratching the back of his head again. “We’ll go to yours. You don’t know my identity yet, and it wouldn’t be wise to go to your parents house. Of course they know you are Ladybug, but I still don’t think they would be able to handle seeing the you from the past.”

Marinette’s head spun at that influx of new information. Her parents knew she was Ladybug? She lived in a different house? Eight years really did make a big difference. She was beginning to wonder just who else knew about her secret. Did Alya know? Nino? What about…

“It’s starting to get dark,” Chat placed his hand on her shoulder. “We should get going. Just follow me; I know exactly where you live.”


	3. Chapter 3

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at a quaint little cottage, located on the outskirts of the city. There was a beautiful rose garden out front and a cute little welcome sign. The setting sun behind the house, painted the sky with warm reds and oranges that seemed to bleed, even blend with the shimmering petals all around the house.

Marinette could just picture herself working in that garden on an early Saturday morning. She could get used to this homely, welcoming scent of fresh flowers. The one thing she never liked about living above the bakery was the lack of yard it provided. Being a designer, she has always longed to cultivate her own land, and her spirit filled with giddiness as she realized this magnificent place would one day be her own. 

Chat extended his baton, leading her to a balcony on the second level. Marinette didn’t want to leave this garden, with its well maintained paths, and beconning benches, but she figured she should follow suit. She  _ would _ be here for a few days - it wasn’t like she couldn’t just come back out here whenever she wanted. Pulling out her yoyo, she flung it towards the railing, effectivity landing herself directly behind Chat.

He smiled, nodding towards the sliding door. “W-you always leave that door unlocked so you can easily sneak in without being noticed.”

Marinette looked towards the door, finding it quite amusing that Chat hadn’t chosen to just go through the main entrance. But without a key, she figured, it would be pretty much impossible. Still, it was strange sneaking into an unknown house; even if it was her own. 

“Thanks for bringing me here,” she smiled. “I’ll find my way around. You can go ahead and…”

“I’m not leaving.” 

Chat spoke with such conviction that Marinette immediately knew it would be futile to try to argue otherwise. She sighed.

He walked to the door, sliding it open. Then, with a bow and his familiar flirtatious grin, he dutifully uttured, “After you, m’Lady.”

Usually Ladybug wasn’t one to play along, but for some reason, seeing him do this as a grown adult made it impossible to resist. Something about it was just so adorable. Curtseying, she playfully responded, “Why thank you, mon Chaton. I don’t mind if I do.” With her head held high, she gracefully walked, grinning quite widely, through the door.

“Tikki, spots off,” she uttered the magical words as soon as she was confident they were alone. She felt a little strange detransforming in front of Chat Noir, but shrugged it off as best she could. He already knew who she was. She may as well let Tikki rest.

The little god flew into her charge’s hands, muttering incomprehensible words of exhaustion before falling straight to sleep. Marinette grinned, knowing Tikki wasn’t used to keeping up such a long transformation while placing her on the comfortable looking king sized bed.

“Your kwami must be exhausted as well,” she turned back towards Chat Noir. “You should go down to the kitchen to see if there is anything for him to nibble on. I promise I won’t come down while you are in civilian form. I’m going to look for some comfortable clothes to…”

A picture on the dresser caught her eye. 

It was a picture of her.

But she wasn’t alone.

Standing right next to her, with his arm draped around her shoulder was a blond haired, green eyed man.

Quickly, she approached the dresser.

Why would there be a picture of her with  _ Adrien _ ?

Her heart skipped a beat as she picked up the frame, studying the man in the picture.

Because, dang! 

He was freak’n handsome.

Just like Chat, Adrien had matured into one heck of a good looking man.

But still, why would she have a picture like that? Had they become closer over the years? Marinette grinned, happy to know that she would one day have a closer friendship with Adrien.

*Ehem*

Chat cleared his throat.

Marinette fumbled with the frame, hurrying to try to set it down as a light blush spread across her cheeks, having completely forgotten that Chat was still in the room. 

“I’m going to take your advice and go let Plagg recharge downstairs. I’ll bring some cookies up for Tikki when I am ready.”

Marinette barely caught sight of his flushed face as he turned, sheepishly walking out the door. 

_ Odd.  _ She thought, noticing Chat's sudden change in demeanor. Did he find it strange being inside of Ladybug's house? It wasn't as if Ladybug wasn’t there, but then again, Marinette wasn't really the true owner of this house - at least not at the exact moment. 

If she were in Chat's house right now, she would be feeling more than a little awkward. She couldn't really blame him for feeling uncomfortable there. In fact, she wasn't even sure why she felt so at ease herself. 

Maybe it was due to the fact that this bedroom was so obviously her own. Even though it was much different than her room back home, there were clear traces that she just had to be the person living there. This room wasn’t quite as large as the one she had been living in before, but there was still plenty of space for her old chaise to be positioned comfortably in the corner. Why, even her makeup vanity, her large mirror, and her mannequin were there.

Marinette sighed, throwing herself down on the familiar chaise, her limbs sprawling out as she stared inquisitively at the ceiling. This situation wasn’t ideal, but if what Chat said was true, then everything would be alright. She just had to bide her time here for a few days and then everything would fix itself. Surely it wouldn’t be that bad living in her future home for a little while. She just hoped she wouldn’t accidentally learn something that she would rather not yet know.

She rolled over, looking towards the bed. Catching a glimpse of an open book of designs, she couldn’t help but grin. It wouldn’t hurt to just take a tiny peek; would it? Marinette slowly sat back up, bringing her arms over her head to stretch.

_ I’ll only look at the design on the page that is open. I won’t even touch the book. _

One step. 

Her eyes drifted to the nightstand on the other side of the bed, landing on a second alarm clock.

_ That’s weird. Why would I need two of them? _

Another step.

The drawing was almost in view.

She halted, closing her eyes and turning right plum around on heels. It wasn’t right for her to look; it would be like stealing someone else’s design. Besides, coming up with an idea and figuring out how to perfectly execute it was Marinette’s favorite part. If she ruined that process, if she made herself skip that step, Marinette wasn’t so sure that, whatever this design was, would ultimately bring her satisfaction. No. It would be better to just wait and let it come to her when the time was right.

Opening her eyes, Marinette noticed a door directly in front of her. This hadn't been the door Chat had gone through earlier and there was already another open door that led to an on suite bathroom. She figured it must be the place she needed to find most of all: the closet. The clothes inside did belong to her, after all; it wouldn’t hurt to borrow some while she was there.

Confident that she had the right door, Marinette quickly opened it, turning on the light. 

_ Wow! This closet is unbelie… _

She froze.

This walk in closet was like nothing she had ever seen. It was as big as the bathroom in her old house. There were shelves galore and rows and rows of clothing. Everything had its proper place. There was even room for her jewelry, purses, scarves, and shoes. 

However, it wasn’t the size or even the magnificence of the closet that had her frozen in place. 

No.

It was the fact that  _ her _ items only took up half of the room. The other half clearly belonged to someone else.

That someone obviously had a great sense of fashion, with an entire wardrobe seemingly made up of only top brands. Marinette had to approve of this person’s taste. There was just one teeny, tiny little problem; all of these clothes belonged to a man! . 

Marinette’s mind was going haywire. Wasn’t this supposed to be her house? Why would a man’s wardrobe be in here? Did she have a roommate? A boyfriend? A HUSB…

Someone knocked at the door.

_ Oh no! _

Marinette’s hands flew to her face.

_ What if that’s him? _

Her eyes darted around looking for a good place to hide. She couldn’t be seen. There was no way she could face this.

“Marinette,” a kind voice spoke from the other side.

Her muscles tensed.

Did he already know she was in here?

“I brought some cookies for Tikki. You can open the door; I’ve already re-transformed.”

Marinette exhaled, letting out the breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding. 

Of course.

It was only Chat Noir.

Didn’t he say the future Marinette was on some kind of business trip. Maybe the owner of this second set of clothing, whoever he was, was with her. Then, there would be nothing to worry about.

“C-come in,” her voice cracked. 

Marinette stood frozen, listening as the door to the bedroom creaked open. If she had been in a normal state of mind, she would have opened the door herself, or at least made an attempt to greet her guest, but no - all she could do was continue to blindly stare into that foreign closet.

“Oh,” Chat suddenly spoke directly behind her.

Marinette jumped at the sudden loudness of his voice, impulsively turning to him, poking his chest with her finger.

“Don’t scare me like that, cat!” she jabbed at him, accusingly.

He raised his hands, like a criminal having been caught in the act.

“S-sorry,” he stammered. “I should have warned you about that.”

“Warned me about what?” she crossed her arms.

He peered around her as his arms dropped, gesturing towards the clothes. “I should have told you that the future Marinette is married.”

Her jaw went slack.

She was married?

In eight years she would have a husband?

But who had fallen in love with her?

Wait… who had she fallen in love with?

Did this person know she is Ladybug? If he didn’t, how would that even work?

No. Whoever it was had to know. Chat had said she always snuck in through the bedroom door.

But who on earth was it?

Marinette could feel the blood rising to her head. Knowing that at this point her cheeks must be bright red, she avoided looking at Choir Noir, instead looking past him, right at the picture sitting on her dresser.

The picture of her and Adrien.

The picture that made it look like they were more than just friends.

“No,” she accidentally spoke out loud as everything sunk in. “It can’t be.”

She snapped her eyes, locking them onto Chat’s. 

“I’m married... to  _ Adrien Agreste?! _ ”


	4. Chapter 4

Adrien’s heart thudded deeply within his chest as he sheepishly followed Marinette down the hallway. She was walking in what seemed to be a daze, stopping momentarily to gawk at every picture along the wall as she shuffled along. Nothing had been said between the two since she had figured out she was his wife - which was weird in itself seeing as how she still didn’t know that  _ he _ was Adrien.

How was he even supposed to deal with that?

Even though Adrien knew that, one day, he would be placed in this situation, he was not prepared for how awkward and completely uncomfortable it made him feel. Sure, Marinette had told him this was going to happen, but just like usual, he had brushed it off, saying it would be easy to handle a young Marinette. He had known her at that age; he knew what she was like. Heck! She was his wife! Certainly it wouldn’t be hard to keep the young girl company. He knew everything about her. It would be a piece of cake.

But as soon as he inadvertently had spoken her name, and seeing the amount of stress and the shock that had caused, Adrien knew this was going to be anything but easy. Never once, when he imagined what this event would actually be like, did he imagine that everything he knew would be what worked against him. Instead of using his knowledge to his advantage, he had to keep his mouth shut - to keep their intimate life a secret, somehow letting off that he didn’t know her as well as he actually did.

And to top it all off, Adrien had never expected being around younger Marinette to be so utterly confusing for  _ him _ . That first moment, when he had landed on the rooftop behind her and seen her distress, all he had wanted to do was run to her and envelope her in a warm embrace. That’s what he would normally do, and knowing that he couldn’t comfort his wife in that way just didn’t sit right with him. 

She was hurting.

She was confused.

And he couldn’t do anything.

Then, there was something else - a feeling in the pit of his stomach that had been entirely unexpected.

It had been building ever since he had first seen her, and no matter how much Adrien tried to convince himself this feeling was crazy, he couldn’t just simply avoid it.

“I can’t believe it,” Marinette’s voice pierced the silence, alerting Adrien to the fact that they had somehow already made their way downstairs to the collage of wedding photos hanging on their living room wall. “I’m really going to marry Adrien.”

His pulse quickened. 

Adrien watched her face, trying to determine just exactly what she was thinking. Was she happy about this, or was she having a hard time seeing herself with Adrien in an intimate relationship? If it had been him at that age, he knew he would have been thrown totally through a loop. He had been in love with Ladybug, and at that point, he hadn’t thought anything like that about Marinette. 

But… hadn’t Marinette told him that she had always liked him as Adrien? There was nothing to worry about. Of course finding out about their marriage would make her happy. Wouldn’t it?

“I think I need to sit down,” her voice wavered. “This is all a bit overwhelming.”

Adrien reached out, offering Marinette his hand.

She didn’t respond, causing that uncomfortable feeling to rise back up in his chest.

_ Oh right. _ He pulled his hand back, scratching the back of his head.  _ This is not  _ my  _ Marinette. _

“The couch is over there,” he awkwardly smiled, pointing towards the obviously placed sofa. “Feel free to sit down and look around.”

_ Great job, Agreste _ . He scolded himself as Marinette blinked, slightly tilting her head. Why was he making her sound like a guest in her own house?

“I-I’ll go make some tea,” he shifted his pointing finger towards the kitchen. “Just make yourself comfortable as you try to sort things out.”

At Marinette’s nod to his suggestion, Adrien scurried out of the room, wishing, for the first time in his life, that they hadn’t gone with a house with such an open concept. 

It was quite off putting, knowing she could be watching his every move, and Adrien wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the stress. Normally, it didn’t bother him if Marinette was watching him. In fact, he would be quite happy knowing that she was paying him that much attention, usually throwing in some sort of silly singing or dancing just to give her a show. But  _ this _ was totally different. There was no way he could suddenly start acting like his normal self. She would think he was crazy - or worse just shrug it off as him being the usual, non serious, Chat.

Adrien shuddered at that thought, grabbing a teapot from the cabinet, filling it with water and placing it on the stove. How was he supposed to face this Marinette when she knew nothing about him? It had taken years for his Marinette to break all his walls down - to truly get to know the real Chat Noir and Adrien. But now everything had been reset, and Adrien didn’t know how to deal with this seemingly cruel new reality he found himself in. 

At all.

It was like he was that awkward teenager all over again - afraid that he was going to mess everything up, and fearful of Marinette’s reaction when she finally found out he was actually Adrien.

_ This sucks.  _ He sighed, opening the dishwasher and loading the dishes from last night’s dinner.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that it was during this excursion that Marinette had figured out Adrien’s secret. When she returned, she had practically thrown herself into Chat Noir’s arms, calling him by the name of Adrien.

Adrien smiled, thinking back to the shock she had given him. Ladybug had only been gone for a few seconds, and then out of nowhere, Marinette was there, hugging him.

It took way longer than it should have to realize that Marinette was actually Ladybug. And not only was she Ladybug, but at some point during her trip to the future, she had become comfortable with the fact that he was Adrien.

But, anytime Adrien had asked about this, she wouldn’t tell him. Marinette simply insisted the importance of things taking their natural course, urging him not to worry: everything would turn out just perfect.

_ Perfect for you, maybe.  _ Adrien rolled his eyes, pressing the button to start up the dishes.  _ You weren’t the one having to lie about your identity inside your own house. _

The teapot let out a high pitched squeal, piercing Adrien’s sensitive feline ears, causing him to jump at the sudden pain. In a quick desperation to make that wretched sound stop, Adrien snatched the pot from the stove, pouring the steaming hot liquid into two, previously prepared mugs. 

Taking in a deep breath, Adrien gingerly lifted the cups and headed towards the couch where a wide eyed Marinette silently watched his every movement.

“You sure seem to know your way around the kitchen,” she pointendly mentioned with a raise of her brow as she took the cup from Chat’s offering hand. “Do you often do Ladybug’s dishes?”

Adrien stiffened, his pulse quickening. Why had he been so obvious? Chat Noir had no place knowing that much about Ladybug’s kitchen. 

“It’s okay,” Marinette smiled, patting the couch, clearly motioning for him to sit. “It makes me happy knowing that you and I will one day be this close.”

Following her lead, Adrien sat down, nervously taking a small sip from his mug.

“The thought of having no more secrets between us honestly has me pretty excited,” Marinette quickly added. “I always believed it would be too dangerous to reveal our identities. But seeing this - knowing that we will one day be good enough friends for you to even clean up my house, makes me think that maybe I was wrong.”

Adrien couldn’t help but to smile as a warm, comforting feeling rose within his chest. Seeing Marinette so happy at the thought of being close to him, to Chat, made him remember that even though this wasn’t his current Marinette, she certainly was the girl he had fallen in love with.

“Things definitely became easier for us once we knew,” Adrien added, remembering all the times they transformed together in the school supply closet, where he, more often than not, took advantage of the chance to sneak in a few, not so innocent, kisses. 

“Really?” She cocked her head to the side. Then, after taking another long sip of her tea, she shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “I guess that makes sense.” Marinette paused, looking at the pictures in the distance. 

“Does Adrien know?”

Adrien flinched, not expecting to hear his own name being brought up within this conversation. “Do- does he know what?” 

“Does he know who you are and that you often come to visit?”

“Yes,” Adrien quickly answered. “I would never ask my lady to keep such a big secret from her husband.”

This time it was Marinette's turn to flinch. She hadn’t nearly had enough time for that word to sink in.

“Right,” Marinette nodded. “Of course I would tell Adrien.”

She sat her, now empty, cup on the coffee table in front of them, slightly snickering to herself as she turned to face Adrien. The sudden eye contact made his heart thump deeply within his chest. 

_ Get ahold of yourself Agreste. She’s not your wife….. yet. _

“I just can't believe I'll be good enough at talking around him to vocalize this secret. As it is, I'm lucky if I can get a single sentence out when I try to talk to him.”

“You definitely get better at talking to Adrien,” he grinned, thinking back to all of their awkward conversations they had when they were younger. He had never really realized it, but it was after this trip, Marinette never once stuttered around him and certainly never stopped talking at just one sentence. “I promise.”

“I guess I'd have to in order to be brave enough to tell him I'm Ladybug and eventually m…” she stopped herself, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of red.

“Marry him?” Adrien raised his brow, taking a long, overly dramatic sip - unable to keep himself from enjoying how flustered she was just thinking about being his bride. 

_ Cute. _

He had never really seen this side of Marinette.

Ever since she blurted out his secret, she had been so confident in their relationship. Of course, who wouldn’t be after literally getting to see themselves married to the love of their life in the future?

Marinette buried her face into her hands.

“I just can’t believe I’m going to marry him.” 

Her words were muffled, making her even more adorable sounding to Adrien.

“He’s so perfect and I’m just so….so…...Marinette,” she slumped forward.

_ What’s this new attitude all about?  _ Adrien’s chest tightened as his back stiffened, not knowing how to respond to this younger Marinette’s lack of confidence. He wanted to reach out - to envelope her with all of the love he had stirring within. But he couldn’t. He shouldn’t. She didn’t know who he was yet…

“So!” he boldly spoke, forcing himself to stay in his seat as he fiddled with the warm mug in his hands. “What’s wrong with being Marinette? I happen to think that Marinette is way more amazing than boring old Adrien.”

Marinette lowered her hands, turning to face Chat. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

“Nope,” Adrien snuck the word in just before he emptied his cup, a smug grin forming on his lips.

“You just think he is boring because he probably hates your puns,” she smirked, poking Chat in the chest. “He’s way too sophisticated for lame jokes like that.”

“Ha!” he reared his head back, flailing his empty mug into the air. “I’ll have you know that your lover boy, Adrien, joins right in on all of my _ purrfect _ jokes.” 

_ Seeing as how he is the one making them.  _

“No way.” Marinette grunted, taking the cup from him and adding it next to hers on the table. 

“Yes way,” Adrien laughed. He cleared his throat, longingly eying his empty mug and wishing he still had it in his hands. 

Marinette glanced towards the wedding pictures on the wall. “Well if that’s true,” she sighed, “I guess there is a lot about Adrien that I don’t know yet.”

“That’s a massive understatement.”

Marinette flicked her head back in his direction. “And just what is that supposed to mean, kitty cat?”

_ That you don’t even know that  _ I’m  _ Adrien.  _

“Oh you know,” he tried to play it cool. “You haven’t even learned about his secret dark side.” He stretched his arm along the back of the couch, crossing his leg in a super relaxed, manly fashion.

“And now I  _ know _ your lying.” She pouted, turning back to face the collage of their wedding.

“I’m not,” Adrien pouted right back at her.  _ Two can play at that game _ . “Adrien is far from perfect. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can accept why it is that he needs you in his life.”

Marinette’s face softened. “He… needs me?” Her eyes remained transfixed on a portrait in the middle of the college, featuring a newly, happily married Adrien.

“Every day.” He sat back up into a much more sophisticated position.  _ I need you more than you could possibly imagine. _

“Why?” she turned to face him.

“Because without you, he goes back to being that lonely boy who liked to throw temper tantrums on Christmas.”

“Temper tantrums?” Marinette raised her brow. “Adrien?”

“Absolutely. Extremely big ones.” Adrien spread his arms wide in the air, emphasizing the enormity of his idioticness.

“That doesn’t sound like him at all,” she huffed while crossing her arms. 

The clock on the wall chimed, signaling that it was now nine o’clock. It had only been a mere few hours since he had come across this young Marinette, but the stress and uncertainty of this evening had Adrien feeling exhausted and ready for bed.

“Well it’s like you said,” he stood, stretching and walking to the edge of the couch where Marinette sat. “There is still a lot that you don’t know about Adrien.”


	5. Oops...

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will herself to fall asleep. But everytime she was just about to doze off, images of Adrien plagued her vision. At first these scenes were happy. He was smiling and walking towards Marinette - she could only imagine that he was about to ask her out. Dressed in his dad’s latest fashion, he was gorgeous and everything about him just seemed so perfect.

Yet, each time she was about to take his hand, he would always rip the present she was holding right out of her arms and stomp it right on the ground. 

“Ugh,” she sat up, rapidly rubbing her head in frustration. Why did Chat have to say all that? Now she couldn’t sleep and it was all that stupid cat’s fault.

_ Temper tantrums _ . She moaned.  _ As if! _ What would Chat Noir even know about Adrien? It wasn’t as if they were best friends that shared each other’s deepest darkest secrets.

Right?

Marinette stood, completely resigning herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to fall asleep any time soon and walked over to Adrien’s side of the bed. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for exactly, but some small part of her wanted to get closer to Adrien - to discover who he was as her husband.

Looking at the top of his nightstand, everything seemed quite ordinary at first glance. There was the large radio alarm clock, which she had noticed earlier, and a charging stand for his phone. There was also a pair of reading glasses which Marinette could only imagine looked extremely dorky and adorable on Adrien. Off to the corner, she noticed in confusion, appeared to be what seemed like a tiny, kwami sized bed. It looked just like the one Marinette had on her side of the bed for Tikki, except for instead of being pink, this one was black.

_ Why would he have another bed for Tikki? _ Marinette wondered, looking over at the sleeping little deity on her own nightstand. Did Tiki sometimes prefer to sleep next to Adrien? It wasn't as if Marinette could blame her; he  _ was  _ gorgeous to look at. 

She sat back down on the bed, fluffing Adrien's pillow before laying, face down, in his spot.

_ I can't believe I'm laying in Adrien’s bed.  _ Marinette breathed in, taking in his almost, intoxicating scent.  _ Or the fact the Adrien's bed is actually mine.  _ She let out a high pitched little squeal into her pillow. This was almost too good to be true. How on earth was this going to be  _ her _ life?

Not to mention how drop dead gorgeous she looked in all those wedding photos. Most of the time she had spent glancing at them, her eyes had been on the incredibly handsome, well dressed Adrien, of course. However, it wasn't as if she could ignore herself standing right next to him. If asked prior to this if Marinette ever thought she stood a chance at measuring up to Adrien's radiance in a photo, she would have scoffed.  _ Her?  _ Plain old Marinette? Surely she would always pale in his presence, right?

No. These pictures were proof that some sort of goddess had been sent down to prepare Marinette for her wedding day. The dress was simply divine; she couldn't have designed it better herself - wait,  _ was  _ this her own design? Either way, Marinette would never forget it's perfect blend of silk and lace, it's simple yet elegant construction, and the flattering way it clung and fell from her body at all the right spots. 

Then there was the makeup and hair, which only the goddess could have accomplished. How could a partial updo with loose, freely flowing curls look so gorgeous? Marinette never thought she could ever look so angelic, but she had to admit, these pictures made her somewhat envious of her future self. 

Marinette sunk further into the bed, relaxing herself into Adrien's comforting scent. Man, she could definitely get used to...

_ CRASH!  _ Something made a loud, dangerous sounding ruckus downstairs. Without even giving it one thought, Marinette jumped to her feet, running through the door, only stopping once she realized she was standing at the top of the stairs. Normal people would have cowered and run away from a noise like that in the middle of the night, but not Marinette. Her Ladybug, superhero, instincts sent her flailing like a mad woman straight towards the source. 

_ It was probably just Chat.  _ She thought, listening to see if there were any other sounds. 

Even though Marinette had tried to convince Chat to go home, he had told her that he would just sleep on the couch. A part of Marinette had been annoyed that Chat didn't think she could handle spending the night alone, but another part of her was grateful that he cared enough about her to stick around. All of the sudden, the annoyed part of her grew much larger. Why did he have to be so loud? Did he break something?

“Is everything alright down there?” Marinette yelled out in a hushed tone towards the darkened living room at the bottom of the stairs. 

Nothing.

No response.

Not even a hum or a moan.

_ Should I check on him? _

Marinette gingerly placed her foot on the first step. A whirlwind of flurries rushed from her toes, frantically dancing and swirling through her stomach and chest, before, chillingly, seeping out of her head.

What if Chat was currently in his civilian form? She couldn’t just barge down there and see him like that. 

But what if something was wrong? What if he had seriously gotten hurt and that’s why he didn’t respond when she called. She couldn’t just leave him, pretending nothing had happened. She  _ had _ to check. She couldn't continue to call herself Ladybug if she didn't at least do as much as that. 

“Chat,” she spoke a little more loudly this time. “I’m coming down.”  _ Please don’t be out of uniform _ . She begged, biting her lower lip as she slowly, began her descent. 

The uncomfortable tingling, nauseous sensation returned, making each laborious step feel as if she was about to pass out. 

Halfway down, she spoke again, praying that she didn’t have to go through with this. “If you’re okay, please just tell me now and I will just go back to bed.”

Silence.

Marinette sighed, taking another step down the ominous flight.

She thought about closing her eyes. Then, she wouldn’t have to worry about possibly seeing who he really was. Everything was perfect about that plan - except for one problem. With her eyes closed, she also couldn’t see if he needed any help. No, she shook her head, she definitely needed her sight in order to properly analyze the situation. 

Holding her breath, Marinette took the final step, landing her at the edge of the darkened living room. She squinted her eyes, trying to see if anything looked wrong. But she couldn't see much of anything just by standing at the bottom of the stairs. 

With a sigh, she decided to do a careful, quiet sweep of the room.

First, she came across an entertainment center, with a large TV mounted on the wall. 

Then a lamppost and a quite intact bookshelf.

She saw the pictures, still perfectly hanging in their places on the wall.

An empty chair.

A coffee table and a…

_ THWOMP! _ Marinette’s foot landed on something uneven lying on the ground, twisting her ankle, causing her to thud, quite ungracefully, face-first onto the couch.

Something gasped beneath her.

Marinette froze - that awful fluttering feeling raging through her stomach once again.  _ Oh my gosh! I definitely just fell on a person.  _

The figure below her groaned. “You don’t have to jump on me just to get some snuggles.” His arms wrapped around her waist, effectively pinning her down.

She held her breath, tightly shutting her eyes and trying not to think about the new, all too attractive, features of the person beneath her. There was no doubt: she just had to be laying on top of Chat. At least he didn't seem to be hurt, which was a relief, but he was acting as if this amount of contact was normal. Did he even realize that he was currently cuddling Marinette? Who did he think she was? Did Chat Noir have a wife?

That would make sense, seeing as how she herself was married. Of course Chat Noir would also have moved on with his life. Once he found out Ladybug was dating Adrien, he would have had to have found someone else.

And that someone else would certainly not like the fact that Marinette was currently laying on top of her husband. 

“Chat, I-” she softly began, trying to push herself off his chest. 

“Shhh,” he cooed, tightening his arms around her causing her heart rate to quicken. 

_ Wait.  _ She took in a deep breath.  _ Why is my body reacting this way around-  _

Her nostrils flared and her eyes shot right open. That smell! It was the same exact scent she had just been wallowing in before that crashing sound brought her downstairs. 

But why did Chat Noir smell exactly like-

“Adriiiien,” a whiny, raspy voice gloated as it floated towards them. “You've got a big mess to clean up in the kitchen. You should probably do that before-”

But it was too late. The poor little black kwami would never get finish that sentence. Because at that exact moment, Marinette had barely managed to lift herself up enough to see the face of said, Adrien.

If it hadn't been in the middle of the night, maybe Marinette would have had a better reaction. But not now. Not like this. Not when the voice of that mischievous kwami confirmed all of her sudden suspicions. 

Chat Noir was Adrien. 

And she was laying right on top of him. 

Adrien was there, looking even more gorgeous than she could have even imagined. 

He was her husband.

Chat Noir was her husband.

That freaking beautiful, manly Chat Noir that she couldn't help but ogle at earlier was her husband. 

Which also happened to be Adrien…

Marinette couldn't process this. It was too much for her young mind to handle. Time travel, a new house, a marriage with Adrien that she still hadn't quite accepted, and now THIS?!

So, Marinette did the only thing she possibly could in that moment of delirious exhaustion. She screamed. 


	6. Well... That Happened...

Adrien rubbed his eyes, sitting at the small kitchen table, anxiously waiting for the burbling, gurgling, sound of his coffee beginning to pour. 

This was an absolute disaster. No wonder Marinette had never told him how she had discovered his secret, because if he had known, there was no way he would have ever allowed  _ this  _ to happen.

He had been woken up by a shrieking Marinette, straddled right on top of him. Her crazed eyes darted frantically between Plagg's and his own just before she threw herself off the couch, scrambling to gain her balance as she speedily lumbered to the bottom of the stairs. 

Realizing the severity of the situation, Adrien had been quick to call her name, ready to explain everything. But Marinette only motioned for him to stay back and shook her head 'no' before desperately scurrying up the stairs. 

It had been nearly seven hours since that magnanimous debacle, and Adrien hadn't seen or heard a peep from Marinette since. 

_ GURSH!  _ The coffee machine burst to life, spewing and sputtering as Adrien gratuitously glanced at the frothing machine.  _ Finally. _ He thought, standing and walking over to grab his, almost full, mug. Coffee wasn’t usually his thing. In fact, he would usually just prefer a nice cold cup of ice water in order to get him started out in the morning. However, this morning he was struggling just to keep his eyes open, not having been able to sleep a wink since Marinette had left him.

“Of all the dumb luck, Plagg,” Adrien groaned, pointing at the little kwami happily munching a piece of camembert while sitting on the table. “You just _ had _ to knock over Marinette’s new spice rack while you were hunting for your midnight snack.”

“We’ve been over this a million times,” Plagg mumbled, his mouth still full. “If it wasn’t meant to be knocked over, then it shouldn’t have been put there.”

“Ugh!” Adrien ruffled his hair in frustration. “How am I supposed to face her now that she knows who I am? She knows that we’re married!”

“LALALALALA! I’m not listening!!!” Plagg sang, covering his ears as he flew out of the kitchen. 

Adrien watched, wide-eyed, as the snarky cat zoomed straight out of the room, only to immediately do a one eighty, darting for the almost forgotten cheese he had left on the table. 

He shoved the rest of the cheese in his mouth, adding one last statement as bits of cheese flew from his lips. “Just go talk to her. And tell her to send Tikki down; I want no part of  _ that _ awkward conversation.”

Taking a large sip of his coffee, Adrien looked towards the clock all the way at the other end of the living room wall, squinting as he tried to read the tiny numbers and see the clock hands. It was already near ten in the morning. Surely Marinette would have to be hungry. And for them, there was almost no better bonding experience besides coming together for a well cooked meal.

Adrien smiled, thinking back to all the times Marinette had tried to teach him how to cook. It had been a total disaster at first, him being used to having every meal prepared for him, but after a few years, even Marinette had to admit that he had well surpassed her skills. At least with anything other than baking - that was something he still couldn't quite get. 

It was the perfect plan. All he had to do was prepare the perfect brunch. He could get through this awkward situation. For crying out loud; he's freaking Chat Noir. All he had to do now was go invite the girl down. That wouldn't be too hard would it? At least there would be no more having to skirt around the fact that  _ he  _ was husband. Things could be more natural, now. And no more walking around in disguise in his own house. 

He could do this; he just had to be confident...


	7. Oops Again...

“Marinette, you really should try to wake up.”

“Ten more minutes, Tikki,” Marinette groaned, pulling the covers over her face.

“It's already ten in the morning. You can't hide from him forever.” The little god sang, bouncing up and down on Marinette's stomach.

_ Him? _

Marinette bolted into an upright position, throwing off her covers and her little kwami at the same time. 

“What are you talking about Tikki? Who would I be…” 

The words fell from her mouth, her stomach dancing uncomfortably as she took in her surroundings.

This was  _ not _ her bedroom. 

Wait. 

That would mean that yesterday… last night…. It wasnt… 

_ Knock! Knock! Knock! _

“Marinette,” a kind voice spoke from the other side of the bedroom door, making Marinette's heart thud rapidly in her chest. “I made you some breakfast. Well, it's more like a brunch seeing as how late it already is, but yea… I would… I would really appreciate it if you would come down and eat with me.”

Marinette stared at the door, her mouth hanging wide open.  _ Chat?  _ Her mind slowly realized, as it tried to reconcile what Marinette had thought to be a dream to reality. _ Did Chat just say he made her breakfast? _

“You should say something,” Tikki whispered. It had been more than a few seconds since the voice on the other side of the door had spoken. 

Marinette shook her head, trying to get the image of Chat Noir wearing an apron out of her mind and still trying to convince herself that she was actually awake. “I-I'll be right down. Just give me a…” 

More images from the night prior flitted through her mind: a darkened room, tripping onto a couch, a warm body beneath her, a kwami, and… 

“Adrien!” The name burst from her mouth, as frantic and wild as a volcanic eruption.

“Yes?” he kindly responded. 

Marinette’s eyes drifted towards the photo sitting on the dresser.

_ Right. Adrien is her husband… _

Her eyes widened. __

_ My husband! _

Marinette’s head swirled, her eyes darting back and forth between the picture and the door.

“You can do this,” Tikki whispered, squeezing onto Marinette’s hand and looking, tenderly, into the bluenette’s eyes. After Tikki had woken up and before the couch incident, Marinette had filled her in on everything. And surely she had rambled enough after that for Tikki to get the gist of the current situation. “He’s waiting for your answer.”

_ Of course. _ Marinette fixed her gaze upon the door, taking in a deep breath, preparing her reply.  _ It’s just Adrien. He’s my classmate; I’ve talked to him plenty of times... _

“Just give me a s-second dressed to get.” 

Marinette froze.  _ Crap! I forgot I stutter around Adrien. _

“Uh… I mean get to dressed.” She buried her face into her hands. “No, that's not r-right either. Ugh.” 

_ Great job, Dupain-Cheng! _

“Heh,” Adrien snickered, “I haven’t heard you trip up on your words like that in ages. I’d almost forgotten how  _ purrfectly _ cute it was.”

Marinette lifted her head from her hands, her mind finally placing all the pieces from last night together.

“Oh my gosh! You really  _ are _ Chat Noir!” 

Adrien's boisterous laughter wafted through the door as Marinette hurriedly and annoyedly tried to get out of the bed, managing somehow to only tangle her feet in the sheets, sending herself careening towards the floor.

In mere seconds, a pair of firm hands wrapped around her shoulders, helping her to return to an upright position.

“Are you okay Marinette? I’m sorry for barging in without permission, but… you know- my Chat reflexes kind of kicked in when I heard you fall.” 

Marinette couldn’t breathe. Adrien, Chat Noir, the love of her life, her future husband, was crouching in front of her, his hands still on her shoulders and his soft green eyes emoting all of his love and affection. 

This was too much to take in.

So much new information that just didn’t seem to make sense.

And he was so beautiful, so sincere, and so clearly  _ hers. _

She couldn’t keep herself from falling in love with him all over again. This man. Adrien. Chat Noir. Whoever he was. Marinette didn’t care. She wanted all of it: she wanted  _ him. _

“Please say something,” he softly spoke, removing one of his hands from her shoulder to tuck the hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. 

Feeling the flush of her cheeks, Marinette looked down, meekly beginning, "I…" 

Her eyes focused on her silk nightgown, hanging loosely against the small area of skin it covered.

Marinette snatched the blanket still tangled by her feet, frantically pulling it to her bosom. Her cheeks burned from embarrassment. Adrien just couldn’t see her like this! Sure, he had seen her in her pajamas once before, but that had been different. Those were nowhere near as scandalous!

"Adrien! Get out!” She scrambled, scooting quite ungracefully on her bottom, trying to create some sort of distance between them. “I’m not decent!”

Adrien chuckled, reaching towards the blanket, causing Marinette to recoil from his sudden movement.. “Relax, Mare. It’s nothing I haven’t seen be…” 

The beautiful blonde stiffened, dropping his hand limply to the side, his jaw slackening. Marinette couldn’t help but admire how sheepish he looked, even in the midst of her brain going haywire as it tried to process what he had just said.

“Oh my gosh, Marinette. I’m so sorry.” he pleaded, his wide eyes glueing themselves to the floor, far from Marinette’s direction. 

Marinette’s chest tightened, her heart accelerating to a seemingly ungodly rhythm.

He stood up, backing towards the door, his eyes still peering down. “Please forgive me for being so rude,” he softly spoke, bowing as he did so. “I’ll just wait on you to come downstairs for breakfast.”

And with that, he walked out the door, leaving Marinette a mushing heap of goo melting into the floor.


	8. Screwed

“Where’s Tikki?” Plagg whined. “I gave you one job and you couldn’t even do that.”

“Not now, Plagg.” Adrien plopped into the wooden kitchen chair, leaning his elbows on the table and weaving his fingers into his hair, his face planted in the palm of his hands. “I just royally screwed things up with Marinette.”

“It’ll be fine," Plagg yawned. "We all know how this story ends. She returns, absolutely head over heels in love with you, and then BOOM! Wedding bells.”

“But what if I just messed all of that up?!” Adrien violently ruffled his hair.

“No way!” Plagg landed on his head. “I’ve seen enough of this disgusting love story to know that you two are destined to be together, regardless of how dense you two are. Just be yourself and trust what you know. You WILL do  _ something _ right.”

But Adrien wasn’t so sure. What if he somehow messed up the timeline? What if instead of her falling in love with him, she began to hate him instead? Then what would happen? Would everything change? Would they never get married? What would happen to him then?

Maybe he would just go to sleep and wake up as a completely different person - in a new home with a totally different life. Would he remember what happened? Or would all of this simply be erased from existence?

What if he ended up with a different wife? Or would he not be married at all? Then what would happen to…

“Stop worrying about it kid.” Plagg tugged on his hair, forcing him to raise his head. “Just stop being weird and be yourself; everything will work itself out.”

“Right. I can do that.”

“Just don’t be yourself too much.”

“Okay.” Adrien stood up, determined to do this right. “Wait...why?”

Plagg sighed, “Because sometimes you're too much like an actual cat. You just crave affection! Remember this is not  _ your _ Marinette. You can’t just cuddle up to her whenever you like.”

“I know that,” Adrien pouted, sticking out his lower lip. “I’m not some lovestruck teenage boy.”

“Really?” Plagg twirled in the air in front of him. “You could have fooled me last night when I came into the room and you were grasping onto her for dear life.”

“I was sleeping, Plagg! That doesn’t count!”

“Sure it doesn’t, kid. And  _ I'm  _ not the god of destruction.”

Adrien winced. "Well, I wish you weren't! First you destroyed Marinette's spice rack in the middle of the night, and now, I think your powers are rubbing off on me!"

"Again with the spice thing?" Plagg crossed his arms, sitting himself down on the rim of the chair. "You really need to let that go."

Glaring at his, somewhat, obnoxious partner, Adrien stuck out his tongue. 

"Lovestruck teenager!" Plagg sung, flitting away before Adrien could make a grab at him. "You'll never grow out of it!"

Adrien rolled his eyes, thinking about how much he still absolutely adored and doted all over his wife. Maybe Plagg was right. His love and absolute giddiness anytime he saw her never diminished. If anything, it only became greater over time. 

But this was different. This Marinette was  _ not  _ his wife. Of course he would be able to handle himself; he was a gentleman, after all, and he would never do anything to jeopardize their future marriage. 

That was… at least nothing else besides what he had already accidentally done…

Adrien's phone buzzed in his pocket. Taking it out, a message appeared across the screen.

[Maribug:] Having fun yet?

Adrien rubbed his eyes. Think of the devil… ehem angel, and she will text. What perfect timing she had. 

_ Having fun? Yea right! You know exactly what's going on! _

Adrien's fingers flew on his keypad. 

[Adrien:] You deviant woman. Why didn't you tell me this was going to happen  _ NOW?! _

He sat the phone down, rubbing the back of his neck with both hands, his elbows leaning against the table. The phone buzzed again. 

[Maribug:] Oh calm down, cat. That would have ruined how we met. 

_ Ha.  _

[Adrien:] Yea… it was SOOOOO perfect. I made you freak out within the first thirty seconds. You wouldn't even talk to me for like an hour. 

Glancing at the eggs, now cooling on the stove, Adrien walked over, turning the heat back on to simmer.  _ Ding! _

[Maribug:] Haha! You're right! I forgot about that.

_ Of course she did... _

[Maribug:] But I  _ do _ remember thinking how good you looked (; 

Because DANG you looked awesome in that outfit!

Adrien banged his head against the refrigerator. Why was she telling him this? He did  _ not _ need to know this. And it certainly wouldn't help him face the younger Marinette when she came down. He returned his attention back to the phone. 

[Adrien:] You are NOT helping!!!

[Maribug:] Love you <3

[Maribug:] Mean it!

Ugh! This woman was incorrigible. 

[Adrien:] Please give me some advice!

This last text was a last ditch effort. Marinette had never told him anything about this experience that would be any kind of use. Why would that change now? But he was desperate! Things were not going well at all! 

It didn't take long for her expected response to flash across his screen. 

[Maribug:] Nope. Got to go. Good luck!

_ Of course.  _ Adrien put his phone down, sliding back into the chair, slouching as he sighed. 

_ This is going to be great...  _


	9. Breakfast

Marinette sipped her orange juice, the cold liquid soothing her parched throat. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t had enough to drink, she was nearly finished with her second cup, but the nervous tension that had been pulsating throughout her body ever since that awkward bedroom incident was keeping her throat feeling dry. 

Adrien was already cleaning up the dishes. Marinette knew she should be helping him, but for some odd reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to move. It had been hard enough to get dressed and leave her room, taking approximately thirty minutes to pick herself up off the floor and make her way downstairs. 

“I can’t face him!” She had cried to Tikki some time after he had left. 

But finally, after much convincing and a lot of freaking out, Tikki had gotten Marinette to realize that staying locked up in her room was a terrible option. This was a great opportunity to get to know Adrien and Marinette would be an idiot if she gave all that up due to embarrassment.

Thankfully Adrien had somehow managed to keep the eggs and bacon warm during her prolonged hiatus, and, to top it all off, he was a much better cook than Marinette could have ever predicted. Who knew simple eggs could taste like  _ that _ ?

“Would you like some more?” Adrien asked, picking up the carton of juice. 

“No thank you,” she politely responded, grateful to herself for getting the words out correctly.

He turned towards the refrigerator and Marinette hit the palm of her hand against her face.  _ Why am I treating him like a freaking servant?  _ Surely she could do better than this. What kind of impression was she giving her future husband? That she was some sort of lazy, spoiled teenager?

Adrien placed the carton in the fridge, turning back towards Marinette, closing the door behind him.

“What would you like to do today?” He smiled, making Marinette’s heart swoon, her cheeks burning as she knew all too well how flushed she must look.  _ Dang it! _ This was exactly why she had been avoiding all eye contact.

If he had been annoyed at all at her lackadaisical behavior, he clearly didn’t show it. No. In fact his face said quite the opposite. Looking at him, Marinette suddenly felt as if she could do no wrong in those eyes. Those extremely beautiful, kind, green eyes. Would she ever be able to get used to Adrien looking at her as if she was the most important person in the world? Probably not.

But now that she thought about it, hadn’t she seen that look somewhere else before? 

_ I’m such an idiot _ . She face palmed herself in her mind, trying to keep her composure in front of Adrien. Of course she had seen it before! Chat had gazed at Ladybug just like that a million times. 

Tikki nudged Marinette, reminding her that she had a question to answer. 

Thankfully, the little kwami had refused to leave Marinette’s side all morning - much to the chagrin of Adrien’s kwami, who Marinette now knew was named Plagg and was now currently sulking somewhere far away from the kitchen. 

She smiled, "I wouldn't mind waking a talk out in the rose garden." 

_ Crap. Not again. _

"Taking a walk! I meant taking a walk!"

Marinette dropped her head to the table, burying it into the nook of her arms. She had been like this all morning; she couldn't take it anymore. 

The chair next to her squeaked, an unpleasant sound, as it was scooted across the floor. 

_ Geez. Just let me wallow in my embarrassment on my own.  _ She thought as Adrien sat down. 

"Come on Marinette," he cooed, gently rubbing her back, "you really are getting better at this. This time you only switched two consonants."

Marinette moaned thinking back to all of her messed up sentences during breakfast. First off, she couldn't even manage to look at Adrien. Let alone hold a conversation. 

For the first five minutes after she had come down, all she managed to do was sit there, bright as a tomato, while Adrien fixed her plate and said the prayer. Once she finally built up the courage to actually move and take the first bite, she had sputtered some sort of nonsensical sentence about his cooking. Even now, she couldn't remember  _ that  _ one because it had been so bad. 

Adrien had tried to stir up a conversation during breakfast by talking about some of their more hilarious akuma attacks, but Marinette still couldn't handle thinking that all of those things had actually happened with  _ him _ .

The thought of Chat Noir one day becoming her husband, alone, was enough to send her over the edge. Let alone the fact that during all their time spent together, underneath that mask had actually been Adrien.

Anyway, every time she tried to speak, avoiding his gaze at all possible moments, her words just came out as jumbled up garbage. 

But each time she flubbed, Adrien somehow miraculously understood what she was saying, and responded as if she hadn't royally screwed up her sentences. And now here he was, trying to lift her spirits; he really did seem like a perfect husband. 

"You know," he patted her back, "if it makes you feel better, I never once heard you stutter or trip up on your words around me after you returned from this trip."

Marinette sat up, Adrien's hand falling down her back, causing her face to burn even more red at its sudden position. 

"R-really?" She stood, stepping away from the table - and, more importantly, the hand that was on her back. "I don't see h-how that's possible."  _ Especially if you keep touching me like that.  _

"Good," he smiled, a cheesy grin only Chat could pull off, immediately catching Marinette off guard. "You got all of your words right! Just lose the stammer and you'll be golden!"

"This is bizarre!" Marinette took a step back, pointing her finger directly at Adrien.

"Great!" Adrien pushed himself up from the table. "A  _ purrfect _ sentence. Granted, it was only three words, but hey! It's improvement."

He crossed his arms, raising a single eyebrow as he stepped around the chair, stopping right in front of Marinette - close enough to where he had to look slightly downward to make eye contact. 

"Now, what's this about being bizarre?"

Marinette gulped. Why did he have to look so cute just standing there like that?

"You," she breathed, "Chat Noir. You looking and acting like Chat Noir. I… I'm not used to that." She took in a deep breath, letting it out in a quickened exhale. "It's weird."

"That's it!" He snapped his fingers, a smug grin forming around his lips. "The more I act like Chat, the easier it is for you to talk around me. Makes sense - seeing as how you never had a crush on that part of me before."

He stepped forward, placing one hand gently beneath Marinette's chin. "Isn't that right, Princess?"

But Marinette wasn't sure how that could possibly work, because right now her heart was beating faster than it ever had. Chat Noir's charm had never worked on an unamused Ladybug, but the effect it had right now, coming from Adrien, was enough to knock Marinette down, her knees slightly giving in at this new sensation.

Dropping his hand, he backed away, gesturing towards the door leading outside. "After you, M'Lady," he bowed, "the garden awaits."

But all Marinette could do was simply release the breath that she didn't even realize she had held.


	10. Garden

Adrien spun on his heels, swiftly plucking a nearby rose and placing it in between his teeth as he turned back towards Marinette, raising his right brow. This was simple. Keep being silly. Act like Chat. Bring out Marinette’s inner Ladybug.

As long as Adrien had a clear goal in mind - to help Marinette get over her weird speaking problem around him - he could remain distracted. It was easy to forget that some small part of her mind must find him attractive. He just had to keep this up. Keep having fun. Make things cheesy. After all, it  _ was  _ for the greater good. 

He had done a pretty good job of composing himself during breakfast. Even if he had been somewhat freaking out on the inside the entire time, he was pretty sure Marinette hadn’t noticed that. And now, he was in his prime. The rose in the mouth was just the icing on the cake to all the masterful Chat Noir shenanigans he had just accomplished. Puns around every corner. Endless flirting and pick up lines. It was good. Surely it would start working at some point, right?

But from what Adrien had so far noticed, nothing had really changed. If anything, Marinette's cheeks had only somehow managed to get more rosy - which was ironic, seeing as how they were currently standing amidst a plethora of roses. 

Geez. 

Adrien faltered, the rose still in his mouth as he watched Marinette's reaction. There wasn't even a single hint of annoyance as he had expected, but instead rather, she stood still, her hands held in front of her, her eyes wide, as if she were transfixed by his every movement. 

Hmm. This seemed familiar. 

When  _ was _ it that Ladybug had actually started to get flustered around Chat? Hadn't it been when they started dating? But that was  _ after  _ this trip. Or wait… could it have actually started here? Was she seriously starting to succumb to his silly antics? Here? Now?

If that was the case, then none of this would help. At all. He would have to find some kind of new solution to help her speak comfortably around him. 

Adrien frowned, the rose falling from his lips, a thorn scratching his chin on the way down. 

“Meowch!” he exclaimed, clutching his chest and dropping to his knees, the bitter taste of the rose stem still lingering within his mouth. “I’m injured!” 

Clearly it was too hard to drop the Chatlike persona once he had started. 

Marinette blinked, her dazed eyes lighting up, as if a switch had been turned on - one that has been charging up, waiting for this exact moment. Closing the space between them, Marinette reached out her hand, boldly and confident - just like Ladybug would. “You are so dramatic. You’ve only been at this for what - like ten minutes? Yet I’ve already witnessed more utter ridiculousness than I’ve seen  _ my _ Chat pull off in over a month. And here I thought you were supposed to be the adult. Come on. Get up.”

Now there's the Marinette he had come to know and love. Maybe this could end up working after all. 

“Oh, Alright,” he grabbed her hand, trying to pull himself up. All was well. That was until the queen of clumsiness somehow managed to lose her balance, causing herself and Adrien to tumble towards the ground.

Instinctively wrapping his arms around her, Adrien winced, taking the brunt of the fall, as she landed directly on top of his chest.

“This feels familiar,” he wheezed. “When I imagined you falling in love with me, I never thought you would actually fall  _ on  _ me. Twice.”

Marinette propped her elbows on his chest, raising herself just enough to where he could now look into her glimmering bluebell eyes. Her hair fell, perfectly framing her face as she looked down, the sun behind her head lighting its edges. 

Holy cow! She was beautiful! 

She looked like an angel or a goddess. Either way, this scene looked exactly like something straight out of a romance movie.

“That m-must be my destiny with Chat,” she smiled, red cheeked once again, reaching her hand to move a stray hair off of Adrien’s face. “Don’t you remember how we met?”

He carefully lifted her by the waist, moving her off of him and rolling her onto the grass.

"Holy shi-taki mushrooms!" a familiar voice screamed from the garden entrance. 

Adrien jerked his head up, glaring towards the uninvited guest. _.  _

Marinette gasped, trying to hide her face in her hands. 

As if  _ that  _ would help. 

"How long have you been there?" Adrien pouted, wishing the young reporter had only just arrived. 

"Long enough to get the gist of the situation," the brazen woman sauntered towards them. "When Marinette asked me to come over, I had  _ no  _ idea I would find  _ this _ ."

"How sweet of her," Adrien's voice oozed with sarcasm. "She sent me an audience."

"And what a show!" she gloated, grabbing onto Marinette's arm and pulling her to her feet. "This is hilarious!"

"Alya!" Marinette shouted, finally getting a glance at the woman who had just put her arm over the girl's shoulders. 

"Hey little Buginette," Alya cooed, rubbing the top of her young friend's head. "How old are you right now? Sixteen? Seventeen?"

"Seventeen," Marinette grinned, ducking away from Alya's hand. 

"Wait," Marinette's voice pierced through his thoughts. "Why did you call me that?"

Adrien shifted his focus to the grass in front of his feet. It was obvious he was no longer a part of the conversation. 

"I  _ am  _ your best friend; I know  _ all _ your secrets!"

Weeds. There were weeds everywhere - a tell tale sign that Marinette had been gone too long. Adrien would have to pick those.

"I should have known. After all, a lot can happen in eight years. By the way, you look freaking gorgeous!"

Alya giggled as Adrien lazily picked a weed from the path. "Thank you, girl. And I'm sorry for startling you. I just wasn't expecting to see you here; after all, you  _ should  _ be in Milan."

Adrien tossed the plant to the side, wishing he wasn't currently stuck sitting in this position. 

"So I've heard," Marinette replied.

"I knew this would happen at some point!" Alya bounced. Adrien was  _ so  _ done with this conversation. Weeds were nice. He picked another, fumbling with it between his fingers. 

"But it still shocked me to see you looking so young and so  _ small!  _ I had no idea this would happen while you were..."

"Alya!" Adrien flung the, now crumbled, dandelion towards loose lipped woman, landing a direct hit on the face - effectively halting her from finishing that sentence. 

Glaring at her with the sternest looking eyes he could muster, Adrien prayed that she would get the message. There were some things Adrien desperately wanted to keep a secret, and this particular detail about their life was at the top of his list. And there was no way he was going to allow it to be spoiled by some ill mannered loud mouth. If anyone was going to tell Marinette, it would be him.

_ That’s why she keeps that room locked. _ Adrien suddenly realized. Makes sense. Marinette must not have wanted her younger self to know about  _ that  _ either.

Alya turned point blank towards him, eyes raging, her hands on her hips. “Seriously, Agreste?! You’ve resorted to throwing things at me now?” She crossed her arms. “Fine. Okay, okay. I've got it. You can calm down now. Go grab some catnip or something. Marinette and I need to talk."

And with that, she grabbed hold of Marinette's hand whisking the young girl into the house, slamming the door behind - a disgruntled looking Plagg phasing through the door within mere seconds. 

Clearly Adrien wasn't invited, nor did he particularly want to hear anything coming out of Alya's mouth right at this moment. So he did what any other sane husband would do when his wife's best friend was over for a visit. 

"Plagg, claws out!"


	11. Realization

"Adrien!" Marinette peeked through her fingers. "Alya! I - I'm going to marry Adrien!"

"Yes…"

"This might seem normal to you! You've had eight years to adjust to it. But for me, as of yesterday, I was still embarrassingly fawning all over his brand new swimsuit ad!"

Marinette shook her head, glad that her hands were covering the obvious blush that burned at her cheeks. She just couldn’t get that image out of her head now she had been reminded of it. 

"Oh, I remember that," Alya put her finger to her chin. "One day you were ogling at those perfect abs of his, crying into your pillow because you would never be good enough to date him, and literally the next day you were all over him!"

"I was?!" Marinette lowered her hands to her lap, leaning towards Alya. "I mean I will?!"

Alya snickered, grabbing her best friend's hands once again. "This trip must have been good to you," she arched her left eyebrow. "I had no idea what was going on at the time, and all of the sudden, seeing  _ you _ holding hands with Agreste - his sheepish grin and your confident smile - it… it just didn’t make sense!”

“Of course it didn’t!” Marinette blurted, her eyes wide. She tried to picture herself doing what Alya had described. But could that really be true? Could she really return so bold enough as to start an immediate relationship with Adrien?  _ Her? Marinette? _

"But then again," she inadvertently began speaking aloud her thought process. "Why wouldn't I go after Adrien as soon as I can?" She snickered, thinking of the life they would one day share together. 

"Pfft!" Alya spit. “Just think. You’ll never have to worry about who you will marry. You’ll only ever have to think about one guy.”

One guy.

The words reverberated in Marinette’s mind.

She blinked, looking back over to the wedding portrait. 

Alya was right.

Marinette would never have a reason to think about another man besides Adrien. 

There would be no uncertainties, and no wondering if he would ever like her back.

All she would ever know about the future of their relationship would be peace of mind.

Marinette smiled, happy for the gift she had been blessed with. No wonder she had seemed so confident in Alya’s eyes when she returned. Because she could feel it now - a seed that had been planted when she first saw Adrien laying beneath her on that couch. It was beginning to sprout, and with it, she knew everything was going to be just fine. She  _ would  _ get over this strange mental speech block, and she would effortlessly take Adrien as her rightful boyfriend as soon as she got back. She already knew it would happen, so she didn't have to worry about the results.


	12. Exploration

Adrien landed on the small balcony outside his and Marinette's bedroom, letting his transformation drop as he glided through the door. Alya's car was no longer in the driveway, meaning Marinette should be home alone. 

A twinge of guilt pierced his stomach knowing she had been left on her own. 

How long had she been waiting for him? It wasn't as if he had really been gone that long - two hours at the most. 

Surely she had found something to pass the time since Alya had left. 

\---

"Let's go," Marinette motioned towards Tikki. 

Alya had been gone for a mere five minutes and Marinette was already off, eager to explore the unknown spaces of the house. 

As a child, her favorite thing to do anytime she had visited someplace new was to discover everything about that place. Nothing had really changed as she got older, and honestly she was surprised it had taken her this long to get started. 

Then again. She smiled, looking into the well organized pantry. She  _ had _ been a little distracted ever since she had arrived.

Well. 

Better now than never!

And now, this was the perfect distraction to keep her from thinking about her and Alya's earlier conversation.

\---

Adrien walked towards the door, ready to give spending time with Marinette another try. 

"I wouldn't go down there if I were you," Plagg sung, darting between Adrien and the exit. 

“And just why not?” Adrien crossed his arms. 

Plagg loftily drifted from the door, stopping right in front of the large mirror that was propped up in the corner of the room, extending his paws towards Adrien’s reflection.

And, Kleb! 

He looked terrible! 

An entire day had passed since he had last had the opportunity to take a shower, and a night on the couch coupled with hours spent vaulting and running through Paris had done nothing for his appearance. 

Adrien lifted his arm, sniffing his armpit and scrunching his nose at the putrid smell. 

“Gross Plagg!” Adrien ripped his shirt off. “I smell worse than your Camembert!”

Plagg crossed his paws, raising his nose. “Don’t you dare compare that stench with my precious Camembert!”

“Whatever, Plagg!” Adrien darted towards the bathroom.

Marinette would just have to wait a little while longer.

\---

Having finished her sweep of the downstairs, Marinette bounded to the top floor, deciding to begin her search at the opposite end of the hallway from the bedroom. Besides a few closets and the laundry room, there hadn’t really been anything new on the bottom floor.

She was ready for something interesting.

Something that would WOW her!

Something that would surprise her, or even make her even more giddy about this being her future home.

“Okay, Tikki,” she bounced on her heels, the chill of the doorknob underneath her fingers excitedly running through her arm. “Here goes. Room number one.”

Marinette twisted the knob, and with a satisfying  _ click _ , the door easily opened.

“Oh wow, Marinette!” Tikki zipped into the room. “It’s everything you ever dreamed of!”

“Look at this sewing machine!”

“And Oh! OH! Look at all these bundles of fabric!”

Marinette giggled. Her kwami was so cute when she got excited. But, even though Marinette was tempted - this fashion studio looked amazing with its bright yellow walls and organized design - she knew she couldn't walk inside.

“Come on out Tikki,” Marinette turned back towards the hall. "I'll save that room for when I'm older."

“Oh, alright,” Tikki zoomed passed Marinette into the open room next door.

Marinette followed suite, finding herself walking into a simple, yet elegant looking bathroom. It was modern, with a raised bowl for a sink, yet traditional at the same time with white subway tile lining the bottom of the room. The top half was painted a deep navy blue and the ashen wood vanity stood out next to the glassed in shower. 

_ A shower! _

Marinette hadn’t taken one in how long now? 

She glanced towards the mirror, taking in the sight of her slightly oily hair, hanging lifelessly just passed her shoulders. She really _ should _ take advantage of the time she had alone to wash up before Adrien got home.

Her pulse quickened just at the thought of his name. 

But hey! 

At least she seemed to be getting a little more used to the thought of him being around. 

“Come on, Tikki,” she shook her head, walking back into the corridor. “There’s just one more room to check out.” 

Marinette eagerly waltzed to the final door, ready to see what surprise lay inside. 

It was probably just some sort of guest room, but to her, even that could be exciting. What color would the walls be? Would there be an adorable comforter set? Would it have some sort of theme? The possibilities were endless. 

“Okay,” her fingers gripped the cool doorknob. “Final room!”

She twisted the handle.

It didn't move.

She jiggled it, using both hands this time.

But the gosh darn knob just wouldn’t budge!

"It's locked _!"  _ she moaned, leaning her head against the door. "Why would I need to lock a door  _ inside _ my house? Normal people lock exterior doors; not the ones on the inside!"

"Maybe your future self didn't want you to see this particular room," Tikki answered. "She  _ would _ know you would go exploring through the house."

Marinette dropped her hands to her side, straightening, no longer leaning against the door. 

"Maybe," she pondered. "But what would be so secretive that I would need to hide it from myself?"

"Beats me. Do you want me to just unlock the door for you so you can get that crazy idea out of your head?"

"No," Marinette lowered her hands. "I kind of like the suspense. Gives me something to look forward to, ya know?"

She began walking towards the master bedroom.

“I’ll get you to open it later. Right now, I need to go wash up.”

\---

Adrien stepped out of the shower, turning off the water and shaking out his hair.

He grabbed a towel to dry off, thinking of what he and Marinette could do for the rest of the evening. 

They honestly hadn't gotten much of a chance to just talk. Everything was just so darn awkward! 

He needed to come up with something to make Marinette more comfortable around him. Something that would make her forget about everything and bring her guard down. 

Adrien sighed, tying the towel around his waist as he placed his hand on the knob to the bedroom door. This wouldn't be easy. 

\---

Marinette twisted the handle. 

\---

Adrien pushed open the door.

\---

Marinette entered the room. A figure moved in her peripheral vision. 

She jumped, turning towards the intruder, assuming her usual defensive position. 

\---

Stunned, Adrien grabbed his towel so it wouldn’t fall. 

\--- 

Marinette’s jaw dropped to the floor.

This wasn't an intruder at all!

\---

YUP! 

He was  _ so  _ going to murder Marinette when she got back from Milan.

\---

“Wow…”

The word slid from Marinette’s mouth as if it had a mind of its own.

This was  _ so  _ much better than an swimwear ad.

All those years as Chat Noir had  _ certainly  _ been good for Adrien's figure. 

He looked so much better than she could have ever imagined, with his wet, ruffled hair, perfect abs, and…

_ Get ahold of yourself Marinette! _

"My turn!" Marinette blurted, snapping her eyes from the towel to Adrien's startled eyes. 

She dashed to the closet, looking for something to wear for when she finished.

Grabbing the closest outfit she could find, Marinette glided past the, still frozen, Adrien, slamming the bathroom door behind.

Who knew the witty Chat Noir could actually be rendered speechless. 

It was actually kind of cute seeing his embarrassed side.

\---

“Oh my gosh!” Plagg howled, coming out from behind the lamppost, holding Adrien’s phone. “I’m so glad I got that camera! Marinette is going to be so proud.”

“You knew that was going to happen!?” Adrien snarled at Plagg.

“Of course I did!” Plagg gloated, “How else would I be able to send Marinette a message of the video?”

“Don’t you DARE!”

“Too late!” the little cat sung. "She promised me three entire wheels of Cambembert straight from Milan!"

"Give me that!" Adrien reached for his phone. "I need to talk to my WIFE!"


	13. Phone Call

Voicemail. Voicemail! He had so many things to say to her right now, and she seriously sent him to voicemail!

Adrien wasn't one to get easily upset with his wife, but this situation was seriously starting to irk him. 

So what if she kept everything a secret? Did she seriously have to keep humiliating him? Alya. Plagg. Who else was she going to send to watch his next big moment of degradation? 

Was his life seriously just something funny for her sit back and watch, laughing as all these terrible things happen?

To her, this may be stuff that's in the past - a rerun special that she gets to enjoy all over again. 

But not for Adrien! 

Everything was happening now!

It was fresh. 

And his wife didn't seem to care at all about how all of this was affecting him. 

"Ugh!" Adrien tossed his phone on the bed, stomping into the closet. 

His eyes stung, fighting back the pooling up of tears as he tried to focus on picking an outfit. 

_ Stop it, Agreste!  _ He swiped at his left eye to keep the moisture from spilling over his lashes. 

This wasn't the time to cry. Marinette would be out of the shower any minute.

And how would he even begin to explain this situation? " _ Boohoo! Your older self is being mean to me!" _

Yea. As if that would ever happen. 

Finally finding his favorite dark grey tshirt, Adrien ripped it from its hanger, dabbing it against his wettened lashes before pulling it over his head and sticking his arms in through the holes. 

He walked over to his 'drawer of comfort,' as he called it, dragging out his softest pair of sweatpants. After everything that had happened to him in the past twenty-four hours, he deserved to wear what he wanted. 

Dressed and ready to go, Adrien snatched his phone from the bed, speedily exiting the bedroom. 

Plagg was nowhere to be found. He was probably off somewhere talking to Tikki, which Adrien didn't mind at all. 

Sulking was always done better alone. 

He made his way down to the living room, throwing himself on the couch and tossing his phone to the cushion next to him. 

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Adrien inhaled deeply as he sunk deeper, slumping into the cushions. It was nearing two o'clock already, and he couldn't decide if the time seemed to be dragging or flying. 

In a sense, a lot had happened in such a short amount of time. But then again, he still hadn’t made much progress with actually conversing with Marinette. Things just kept popping up and getting in their way, and now that he was a bit peeved, he wasn’t so sure now would be a great time to start up a conversation.

No.

He violently ruffled his hair, leaning his head back against the edge of the couch.

He shouldn’t let his current frustrations with his wife affect how he interacts with her younger self. In fact, he didn’t want the younger Marinette to know how he was feeling right now at all. It wasn’t as if the young girl had done anything wrong.

Adrien needed to focus on making her feel comfortable - not worry her with things that wouldn’t even happen on her end for years to come.

He wondered how much longer it would be before she came down. Five minutes? Ten minutes? Half an hour?

_ Da da DAA du duh!  _

His phone sang the Breath of the Wild theme music - the first Zelda game he had ever finished with Marinette. 

That could only mean one thing. 

His wife was calling him back. 

Adrien sighed, reaching for the phone. Did he really want to talk to her right now? There would be no way this conversation could go in any sort of good direction. 

But still.

She needed to know how he felt.

If he kept it bottled up, there's no way that could end up well. 

Adrien slid the arrow on his screen, answering the phone.

_ Oh well. Here goes. _

"Hey," he bit his lip, trying not to sound too upset. 

"Hi kitty!" her happy voiced chirruped. "I'm sorry I missed your calls. I was stuck in the middle of an important meeting. What's up?'

"Um…" Adrien faltered. "Didn't you watch that video?" 

Marinette chuckled, "Yes! I watched it just before calling. Everything was just like I remembered!"

Clearly this was making her happy.

But the happier Marinette sounded, the angrier Adrien became at her enjoyment of the situation.

"Do you think this is  _ funny _ ?" Adrien snarled, unable to hide his raw, hurt emotion. It wasn't becoming, and as soon as it came out, Adrien instantly regretted sounding like that. So bitter. So mean.

"What?!" Marinette's voice sounded surprised. 

"You heard me."

Another hateful response. What was wrong with him? He never talked to Marinette like that. 

But he couldn't control it. Couldn't hold back everything that was currently raging inside him. 

"Why would you even think that?" she snapped. 

Yep. 

This was going exactly as Adrien had envisioned.

"Let's see. You sent Alya to laugh at me, you bribed Plagg to film me wearing only a towel, and you won't tell me anything, sending texts that only make me feel worse instead!"

"I-" she meekly tried to rebuttal. But Adrien wasn't having any of that. Not until he had finished.

"Do you even care about how I feel at all?" he raised his voice. 

"Adrien…" 

He couldn't stop the tears from falling now. They burned, clawing their way out of his eyes, escaping down his cheeks in a hot, searing dolefulness. 

"I'm sorry," her voice cracked, causing a tumbling, rolling surge of regret churning deep within Adrien’s stomach. 

"I- I- you warned me about this,” she spoke slowly, the words lingering on her tongue as if the weight of them was too much for Marinette to utter, “but I still didn't stop to think about things from your perspective."

_ Obviously.  _ He stood, walking out to the garage where the younger Marinette hopefully wouldn't overhear their conversation. His heart was racing and his entire body trembled - he didn't do well with confrontation.

Adrien took in a deep breath. He didn't want to keep this going, but he had to get things off his chest - let everything surge out into the open.

"Has this just been a  _ game  _ to you?" 

"Of course not!" Her voice sounded panicked. He needed to stop. 

"Then why have you been so selfish? You've only been-"

"Because you told me to!"

Adrien halted his pacing, leaning against the hood of his car, trying to control his now, erratic breaths. 

"What are you talking about? When did I-"

"Please just listen to what I have to say, Adrien." Her tone was firm - a familiar seriousness in it that alerted Adrien to the fact that she now meant business. 

"I'm not the one cutting people off in the middle of their sentences."

Was he being vindictive? That line was probably uncalled for. 

But it wasn't as if it was unmerited. 

"Touche," she dryly responded. “That was rude of me. I’ll try to be more patient.”

“Thanks.”

"Now,” she deeply inhaled, “let me explain myself a little.”

She paused, clearly waiting for Adrien to give her some sort of signal to continue, but Adrien was busy drying his tear-stained cheeks on the cloth of his shirt. He could hear the uneasiness of her breaths, alerting him to the fact that Marinette was also having a rough time with this conversation.

“Before I went back to my own time,” she gently began. “It was you who told me to keep everything a secret."

Adrien placed his hand down on the hood, leaning further back, his face once again completely wettenned. 

"You said everything needed to happen exactly as it did," she continued. "I shouldn't try to change or even mention to you what happened."

"Why would I say that?" He kicked his foot against the front fender, genuinely confused about Marinette's statement. He had been begging her for years to give him details - or at the very least some kind of clue as to what was going to transpire within these few days - and now she was telling him that the reason she had been so closed lipped was because his future self had been the one to command it? It didn’t make sense. When? Why  _ had _ he - no,  _ will _ he come up with this decision?

There was an unusual silence.

"Something happens,” her voice hitched. “Something really important is about to happen.  _ I  _ don't even know all the details. I just know you were desperate to make sure nothing about it changed."

"Okay," Adrien consented - the tears slowing at her revelation. He was starting to get worried now. What could possibly happen that would be even more major than what had already occured?

"Plus," she was beginning to sound more chipper - a forced happiness in her tone that Adrien was all too acquainted with. "I think you finally understood how important all these awkward events were in developing our relationship. At least on my end anyway. If any of those changed, who knows how that would have affected my actions when I returned.”

Adrien snorted, his nose all stopped up from all the ridiculous crying. 

He could feel all the anger from earlier dissipate, evaporating into the air around him as the tears stopped altogether. Yes, there were still a few things that needed to be settled, but he could never stay upset for too long when talking with Marinette. There was something about her presence, even from over the phone, that always seemed to calm him down.

She was his haven.

His perfect place of peace and respite.

But.

There had been more.

More to why he had been upset before than just the secrets.

"Did you seriously have to get Plagg to film it?" he blurted, still annoyed at her humiliating decisions.

"I-" she faltered. "Okay, I may have gone a little - no, a lot too far on that one, but I wanted to see it again. That was the event that caused me to lose my stammer!"

Adrien jolted into an upright sitting position. 

" _ That's  _ what fixed it? Seriously?!"

"Yup," she giggled. "I finally realized there was no reason to be so nervous around you."

“So what about the whole Alya thing?"

"That was something that already happened!” she cut him off again. 

He would let it slide this time…

“I just wanted to make sure she showed up. Our conversation was quite important."

"I don't even want to know," he said while standing up off the car, stretching. 

"That's probably for the best."

Adrien grinned, kindly speaking, "I'm sorry for blowing up at you earlier. I should have known you had a good reason for  _ most  _ of your actions."

Marinette sighed - quite loudly for it to be heard over the phone. "No, you were right. Just because I needed to keep things quiet, didn't mean I needed to be such a prick about it. I  _ was  _ enjoying your suffering a little too much without thinking about how you would personally experience this whole situation. I was stupid."

"Pound it?" Adrien gently offered. This was something they always said after settling an argument. 

"Pound it."

Adrien smiled. He really did love this woman. Even though she sometimes made mistakes, she always worked with all of her heart to fix them. She would be there for him, now. That much he knew, and the thought of her kind support comforted him. 

"Oh. I'll be back the day after tomorrow,” Marinette added. “I finally got the tickets settled. Make sure to let the younger me get to know you a little better before I get home. Right now,  _ she  _ still thinks you're perfect."

"Ha!” Adrien chuckled, his throat feeling a bit tense still. “It looks like I've got my work cut out for me, then!"

Marinette scoffed, "It shouldn't be  _ too _ hard."

"My Lady! I'm hurt!” He clutched at his heart as if she could see his action. “Are you saying it's simple to find flaws in this kitty's reputation?"

"I would never!” she dramatically responded. “Aren't you the perfect model, Adrien? A gentle soul who would never EVEN think about throwing a temper tantrum."

"Point taken,” he frowned, making his way towards the door leading into the kitchen. “I'll talk to her- uh- you."

"I  _ know  _ you will, minou,” Marinette whispered - her pet name for him making his heart flutter. “Just be yourself.”

She made a kissing sound.

“I promise you won't regret it."


	14. Cookies

Something had changed. Marinette wasn’t sure what that something quite was yet. But,  _ something _ had changed.

She slid her black leggings on, her muscles still loose and warm from her long, relaxing bath. It hadn’t been her original idea to bathe instead of taking a shower, but once she had a good look at the large, beconning jet tub, she couldn’t resist.

Besides, it had been quite nice to just unwind and soak all her tension away. After what had just taken place, Marinette really needed the extra time to recuperate. It was imperative that she go back downstairs and pretend that nothing happened. 

Wash it from her mind.

Soak. Relax. Pretend it was a dream.

And by the time she was ready to let the water drain, Marinette was calm and collected - confident that she could face this thing.

Sucking in a large, contented breath, Marinette threw a loose, oversized grey sweater over her head. Who cared if it was still warm outside; the air inside the house was cool, and she honestly just felt like cuddling up for the rest of the night.

She flipped her hair out from her sweater, the pleasant fragrance from her shampoo wafting into the air. She hadn't recognized the bottle, but she would have to make a mental note to buy this stuff as soon as it was released in her own time.

“Marinette!” Tikki chirped, flying into the room. “Are you almost ready?”

“Yep!” the bluenette eagerly responded, glancing in the mirror to make sure she looked alright. Her damp hair hung loose just past her shoulders and the large sweater fell easily past her hips, covering her entire behind. If she was trying to impress a boy, she certainly wouldn’t go down looking like this. But then again, what did she have to prove to Adrien? She was already his  _ wife. _

Wait.

What was she thinking?

_ She  _ wasn’t his wife!

That title belonged to the future Marinette.

She pursed her lips.  _ I’d do well to remember that. _

“Good,” Tikki grinned, landing on the dresser in front of the mirror. “Adrien looks like he could use some company,” she winked.

“He does, does he?” Marinette raised her brow, a surge of heat rippling through her body at the mention of his name. “I guess I’ll just have to go join him then.”

Marinette raised her head, boldly strutting towards the door. “Oh and Tikki?” she looked over her shoulder at her kwami. “Can you and Plagg give us some space for a while? I’d like to spend a little time with Adrien alone.”

Marinette squeezed her fists. She couldn't use her kwami as a crutch anymore. It was imperative that she face this on her own.

“Certainly,” Tikki winked. “Plagg has been begging to spend some alone time with me as well. I’ll go take care of it right now.” She zipped out of the room, whipping Marinette's hair as she zoomed past her. 

_ Well, she's excited.  _ Marinette sighed, tucking her displaced hair behind her ear. She puffed up her chest.  _ I guess it’s now or never for me as well.  _

It was time to go spend the evening with the love of her life. No big deal. Her future self did this every day, so she could too. 

All she had to do was simply take the first step and walk out the door. 

Easy. 

Way too easy for a superhero. 

...__...

“Hi,” Adrien waved, swiftly standing from the couch as Marinette reached the bottom of the stairs. “Would you like to come sit with me?” 

Marinette halted, a burning, wavelike sensation coursing through her body at his sudden acknowledgement of her presence, the visage of their earlier encounter flooding her mind. 

_ Calm down Marinette.  _ She took a deep breath. All he asked was for her to sit with him. This was something completely normal. She could do this.

She took a step forward.

He smiled.

That was all it took to send her heart careening into a wild fluttering dance. 

Marinette bit her lip, willing herself to move her foot again. She needed to get through this. Running away or simply ceasing all function every time she saw him just wasn’t an option. If she was going to actually start a relationship with Adrien, she would have to learn how to talk to him even with her shortness of breath and heart palpitations.

“Sure,” she attempted a smile, her throat tight. “I’d love to have a little chat.”

Adrien’s grin faded, making her freeze once again. 

Unwittingly holding her breath, Marinette's eyes locked onto to Adrien’s bewildering expression. It seemed so emotionless, so dormant, so... 

“Pfft-haha!” Adrien suddenly burst out loud, his fist flying to his lips as he leaned forward, his shoulders hunched. 

His eyes were sparkling, almost mischievous in their delight, and his smile - it was the most genuine, light hearted, full-faced smile Marinette thought she had ever seen on Adrien.

It was beautiful, she realized, as she decided she could spend an eternity just basquing in this man's exuberant radiance. 

Her heart felt warm and electric inside her chest as she released the breath she had been holding. His happiness was everything, and Marinette knew she would stop at nothing to make sure the Adrien back in her own time could experience this type of joy in abundance.

“Chat,” he wheezed, motioning for her to come closer. “You want a little Chat! I mean, I guess I was a bit smaller back in your time, so I guess in a few days, you’ll get exactly what you want!”

“Adrien!” Marinette blurted. 

"Yes, my Lady?" He smirked, outstretching his arm directly towards her, the other folding against his back. 

Marinette faltered, taking in a long, shaky breath - unable to make her body respond to his beckoning gesture. 

_ Too cute! _

Every ounce of annoyance she had previously felt at his terrible pun simply dissipated. This chivalry was just too adorable coming from Adrien. How had she not fallen for Chat Noir every time he had done something similar?

Right. She had always been so busy focusing on actually defeating the akuma and thinking about Adrien to succumb to such childish endearment.

_ Idiot. _

She shook her head, forcing her legs to take the final steps, gingerly placing her hand into Adrien’s.

“It's nothing,” she beamed up at him, her face lighting from the pure, electrical energy emanating from where her hand rested against his. “Just still trying to get used to all of this.”

“I’m sure,” he gently guided her to the couch, allowing her to sit just before he let go of her hand, sitting himself on the reclining chair that was catty corner to the sofa. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“Yea,” Marinette shakily added, eyeing Adrien as he grabbed a glass of water from the end table, bringing it to his lips to take a sip. “Seeing  _ everything _ about my future is a bit intense.”

Adrien coughed, flinging his glass back to the table as he lowered his head - his face morphing into an almost feverishly looking shade of red as he continued to wheeze and hack, desperately trying to catch his breath.

Marinette burst from the couch, her protective, Ladybug instincts taking over once again, and kneeled by Adrien’s side.

“Are you okay?” she rubbed his back. “I hate when that happens.”

“Yup,” he gasped, looking towards Marinette, one hand on his knee, the other finding her shoulder. “Maybe instead of just talking,” he raspily whispered, “we should do something together.”

“Sure!” she patted his back, the familiar warm, tingling wave dancing through her body once again. For the first time in her life, she had an entire evening she could spend with Adrien. No deadline. No friends around. Just them. The thought of such freedom brought a smile to her face. "What do you have in mind?"

____

"Why can't I ever get this right?" Adrien flung his recently licked spoon back into into the bowl in front of him. "You've walked me through this countless times."

Marinette sighed, continuing to stir her own batter, caressing the bowl within her arms, “How bad could it be? I’m sure it’s fine.” 

“It’s not,” he grimaced, pushing the container away just like a child who didn’t want to eat his dinner.

In fact, Marinette giggled, that was the perfect metaphor for how Adrien looked right now. He was an absolute mess. Ever since this silly baking competition between them had started, Adrien had made one major blunder after the other. 

From the very beginning, Marinette had known that this would be a bad idea - taking on the daughter of a baker. But Adrien had insisted. He had assisted the future Marinette in cookie making numerous times. Surely the Marinette of the future would be a more talented baker than the Marinette of the past, right?

Well. Even if there was some truth to that conceited thought process, that didn’t mean that Adrien was anywhere near as good as his wife. Or the younger version of her for that matter.

When it came to baking, that man simply turned into an idiot in the kitchen. How else could one explain his current appearance, with flour covering his entire body and batter caked in his hair. It really defied all logic, especially with how well cooked his breakfast had been. 

Marinette grinned, watching Adrien cross his arms, pouting at his bowl. 

Every single second of this debacle had been hilarious, and Marinette couldn’t get over how simply adorkable Adrien looked during each one of his mistakes. Spilling the bag of flour all over himself had been one thing, but flinging his own batter into his hair had been something that even clumsy Marinette had never managed to do. 

Granted, Marinette had been quite shocked at first at how simply terrible Adrien was at this seemingly simple process. Hadn’t he been the one who could do pretty much anything? 

But then again, when she really thought about it, Chat Noir had made mistakes plenty of times.

Honestly, it wasn’t as if she had ever actually gotten the chance to spend quality time with Adrien. She had only seen snapshots of his life. Of course there would be things that he wouldn’t master - no matter how hard he tried. 

And it was quite refreshing to see more of Adrien’s human nature. The more he messed up, the more she relaxed, and actually spoke to him as if he were any other normal person. In fact, Marinette was quite proud of the progress the two of them had made with their interactions. They were finally having coherent conversations, and, much to her own surprise, Marinette’s stutter had somehow miraculously gone away.

“Let me try it,” she sat her bowl on the counter, walking towards Adrien’s. “I might be able to salvage it if I could just have a taste.”

She took hold of the spoon, dipping it in the batter before raising it to her lips.

It certainly smelled like normal cookie batter, the hint of vanilla softly wafting to her nose as she took in a deep breath.

“Stop!” 

Adrien suddenly appeared from the other end of the counter, knocking the utensil away from her face. “That has raw egg in it!”

“So? Why should I care?” Marinette lifted the spoon once again. 

“Because you’re-” Adrien’s hand clasped around her wrist only to freeze as abruptly as his sentence. 

“I’m what?” she raised her brow. “Is there something I should know?”

“Nope,” Adrien dropped his hand stiffly to his side. “I was just trying to save you from that disgusting batter.”

“Nice try,” she smirked, shoving the spoon into her mouth. He would have to try a lot harder to make her afraid of tasting slightly messed up cookie…

A shiver danced it's way through her spine, her taste buds revolting at the disgusting intruder that had been placed in her mouth. 

Marinette spit the batter back into the bowl.

“Gross!”

“I tried to stop you,” Adrien crossed his arms, a smug grin forming on his lips.

“Not hard enough!” Marinette complained, rushing to the faucet, leaning her head under the spigot to take a drink.

_ Seriously?  _ She slurped, the cool, languid water barely managing to wash down the tiny bit of batter that had made its way into her throat.  _ What did he even put in that stuff? _

“Hello,” Marinette suddenly heard Adrien’s voice behind her. 

She stood, shutting off the tap, turning to see Adrien furrowing his brow with his phone pressed against his ear. 

“Jeffrey! I’m so sorry!” Adrien lamented, bringing his free hand up to massage the back of his neck. “I totally forgot. Something personal came up.”

Marinette wiped her mouth dry with the sleeve of her sweater, walking over to the oven so she could turn it on. At least one batch of cookies would be able to go in there.

“I know I promised,” he began to pace the kitchen, nearly knocking over Marinette as she leaned over to grab a cookie sheet from the cabinet below. “I’ll teach it to you the next time."

She straightened back up, glancing toward a disgruntled looking Adrien. He mouthed the word "sorry," nodding his head to what was being said on the other end of the line. 

Marinette needed wax paper to put her cookies on, but she had no idea where to find it in this unfamiliar kitchen. She had been lucky enough to find the cookie sheet, locating it by a pure guess. 

Deciding to follow Adrien's example, she mouthed her question slowly to him. 

"You'll do great," Adrien finally got a word in as he walked over to the drawer next to the refrigerator, pulling out the wax paper, and tossing it to Marinette. "Just relax and remember everything I've taught you. You'll be set."

Marinette signed the word "thanks" and went to ripping off a sheet big enough to cover the tray. 

Whoever Adrien was talking to seemed pretty upset. She couldn't hear what the boy was saying, but she could hear the tone of his voice even from across the kitchen. 

He sounded like a teenager and from what had been said, Marinette gathered that he must be some sort of student of Adrien's. 

Scooping a spoonful of batter, Marinette realized that she had no idea what kind of job Adrien even had. 

She formed the first cookie into a ball in her hands. Was Adrien a teacher? That could be possible, but why would a student be talking to him like that? From what she knew, teachers weren't supposed to give out their phone numbers to their students. 

She gingerly placed the ball on the tray. 

"Again, I'm so sorry," Adrien leaned against the counter. "I'll see you next week, okay?"

Marinette continued rolling out the cookies, pretending she wasn't at all interested in Adrien's conversation. The boy on the other end certainly had a lot to say. 

"Bye." 

From the corner of her eye, Marinette could see Adrien drop his shoulders, returning his phone to the pocket of his sweatpants.

He let out a heavy sigh, trudging his way over to Marinette's side, grabbing some batter with his bare hands and rolling it between his palms.

"He's a fencing student of mine," he placed the cookie ball on the tray. "Well, the only one, actually. I guess I kind of felt sorry for him."

"Oh?" she scooped another spoonful. "Who knew my husband would turn out to be such a kind hearted man?"

"Husband?" Adrien leaned towards her, purposely bumping his arm against hers, causing her heart to involuntarily flutter in response. "I didn't realize you were married to me yet."

"You know what I mean!" she quickly refuted, slamming the batter into its proper position. 

_ Great. _ She had already forgotten to take her own advice. And leave it to Adrien to not just let her little blunder slip by.

Crossing her arms, she turned to face Adrien. “So? Are you going to elaborate?”

Adrien put down the batter ball that was in his hand, completely filling the cookie sheet. He exhaled, facing Marinette with his batter covered palms hanging awkwardly in front of him. “I was supposed to meet him this morning before his competition to teach him a special technique. Obviously, I forgot. And Jeffrey doesn’t own a cell phone to call and remind me. Just now, he called from the library across from the building where the competition is getting ready to take place.”

“That’s a bummer,” Marinette frowned. Just thinking of Adrien unintentionally letting someone down on account of her suddenly being there, sent pangs of guilt flowing through her stomach.

“Yea,” Adrien lowered his eyes, the oven suddenly beeping in the background.

Marinette rushed to the faucet, washing the batter from her hands.

“I feel terrible,” Adrien added, unmoved from his previous position. “I started helping this kid because he reminded me so much of myself. I really wanted to be someone he could always depend on. He doesn't have very many of those types of people in his life."

Marinette's heart thudded deeply within her chest, the warm water massaging the tops of her hands. 

Something about Adrien's statement just didn't sit right. Surely he meant that the boy's talents were what reminded him of himself, not the other bit of information he gave. Right?

"Marinette, are you okay?" Adrien's voice was suddenly right next to her. "You've been washing your hands for a long time."

Marinette blinked, rapidly shutting off the water and reaching for the towel hanging on the cabinet next to her. 

"Yea," she rubbed her hands against the fabric. "I was just thinking about what you said."

"Oh? What about it?"

Marinette turned towards Adrien, a lump forming in her throat at his close proximity. 

"About you and him being similar," she swallowed, looking up at him. 

Adrien sighed, leaning against the counter, his arms crossed. "Right. It's probably something you should know. I never really talked about it at school."

"Okay…" Marinette twiddled her thumbs, not sure if she liked where this was going. It seemed as if he was about to spill something extremely personal. And all of the sudden, it didn't seem right for her to know. "Are you sure this isn't something the younger Adrien should tell me about? I know I'm the one that brought it up, but it's not like I really need to know."

Adrien straightened back up, scrunching his eyebrows as he stared across the kitchen. "Hmm..."

"It's just that I've already unfairly learned so much about you!" She grabbed his shoulder. "If it's really that important, I want to hear it from my boyfriend's mouth!"

Adrien jerked his head back towards Marinette. "You're right," he breathed, lowering Marinette's hand from his shoulder and taking hold of her other hand at the same time. 

"My sweet Marinette," he rubbed his thumbs against the back of her hands. "I really needed to hear that from you right now."

Her breath hitched as she melted into his tender touch, her eyes transfixed on his compassionate gaze. This was everything. Everything she had ever imagined from Adrien. His kindness. His warm, gentle affection. 

Images from a night long past suddenly flashed through her mind. 

A rose. 

A soft kiss on her cheek. 

A glance that was hopeful yet all too heartbroken.

It had been the same. Even back then, it was all too clear to her now, Chat Noir really had been Adrien.

And then it hit her.

Something as obvious as the light of day, but a detail that Marinette had somehow overlooked - neglected.

Adrien had always been in love with her. He had loved her from the very beginning. It hadn't just been Chat Noir flippantly showing off his affection. No. It had been real. And this whole time, it had been Adrien. 

Marinette's hands trembled as the enormity of this new revelation sunk in. She had known all day that Adrien had been Chat Noir. She had even scolded herself earlier for not falling for Chat's chivalrous behavior, so why was this coming as such a shock to her now?

But it was as if everything finally clicked - the final pieces of the puzzle piercing her soul as they molded themselves together. 

Adrien loved her. He had loved her this entire time. 

And his love was infallible - it was so loyal that Marinette had never even been considered an option.

How could she have been?

Adrien had met Ladybug first. And from that moment, his heart had already been taken.

Marinette gasped. Did that seriously mean Adrien had fallen for her before she had even met him as Adrien? 

He had loved her even before the stupid gum incident?

“Are you okay?” Adrien’s gentle voice wafted into her mind.

Marinette gingerly removed one of her hands from his, caressing it against Adrien’s cheek instead. His freshly shaven face was smooth and warm, his eyes affectionately gazing into hers as she scoured into their depths. 

Would things have been different if they had met under other circumstances? What if he had met Marinette first? Would he have fallen in love with her instead? 

Or what if she had actually paid more attention to Chat when they had first run into each other instead of being so focused on the akuma? Would she have succumbed to his kind-hearted spirit before she even had the chance to meet him as Adrien?

They had both been so blindly in love, that they had never even given thought to anyone else, causing them to miss out on years of potential happiness. 

_ No more.  _ Marinette firmly decided. She would not allow herself to miss out on another second of having a relationship with Adrien Agreste. 

“ _ Purrfectly _ ,” she smiled in response to Adrien's question, excitement buzzing through her veins at the thought of her returning to her own time. “How about we actually put those cookies I worked so hard on into the oven?”

She dropped her hand from his cheek, turning towards the island, expecting to easily slip her other hand from Adrien’s in the process. 

But it didn’t budge.

“Was that a pun that I just heard, m’Lady?”

Marinette spun back towards her hand’s captor. “So what if it was, Chaton?” she teased him. “Are you the pun police now?”

“Never!” he clutched at his heart with his free hand. “I’m just so mewved.”

“Don’t get too used to it, kitty,” she jerked her hand from his, walking back towards the island. “Consider it a one time phenomenon.”

“Okay,” Adrien snickered as Marinette picked up the cookie tray.

She carried it across the kitchen, sliding it into the oven and setting the timer before acknowledging Adrien’s obvious bemusement at her statement.

“Am I wrong?” She faced him, her hand on her hip.

Adrien sighed dramatically, placing his finger on his chin as he tilted his head upward, looking towards the ceiling. “I think that’s something you and younger Adrien need to find out.”

“Touche,” Marinette retorted. 

It looked like the time of getting information out of Adrien had officially ended. For the remainder of her stay here, she would have to find something else to talk about. 

"So what do you want to do once the cookies are done baking?" Marinette crossed her arms. "The day is still young."

"Oh, I've got some things in mind," he smirked while violently ruffling his hair, making some of the batter fall out. "How do you feel about watching one of your favorite movies before it's ever even been thought about in your time?"

"Oh! I'm down!" Marinette bounced, rushing across the kitchen to grab a towel - ignoring her clear attraction to Adrien messing with his hair. She tossed it to Adrien. "Just make sure to clean yourself off before you sit on the couch."

"Yes, mom."

Adrien obediently wiped his face with the towel. 

But those words sounded very strange coming out from Adrien's mouth. His mom was someone he never really talked about. 

She shook her head, turning towards the mess she and Adrien had made. There was no room for sad thoughts of the past. Tonight was all about having fun. She would learn all of Adrien’s secrets in her own time.


	15. Regrets

Things had been going so well. So well! 

Marinette groaned, languishing the warm water as it attempted to lull her into a false state of relaxation. 

The night before had been such a breeze - movies, pizza, harmless bantering - Marinette had been kind of getting used to this whole hanging out with Adrien thing. In fact, it had even been fun. What with all the insecurities and stuttering out of the way, she had actually been able to enjoy his company. 

It had been so natural, so easy to fall into a comfortable rhythm with him, that Marinette had allowed herself to forget, for the merest of hours, that they would one day be married. 

That was until she had woken up this morning.

Marinette pounded her forehead with the palm of her hand, hoping that the impact might somehow miraculously cause the uncomfortable memories to vanish.

“Stupid, Stupid!” 

How could she continue to face Adrien?

Sure, it hadn’t been  _ her _ fault that he had somehow idiotically managed to fall asleep on her bed... 

But why hadn’t she had a more appropriate reaction?

She was clumsy, doesn’t-know-how-to-act-around-her-crush Marinette after all. Why hadn’t she screamed or even fallen out of bed when she had woken up with an arm stretched across her abdomen? 

Why didn’t she gently move his arm or try to flee?

Anything would have been better than the disastrous events of that morning. 

“Stop that, Marinette!” Tikki squeaked, dropping her unfinished cookie onto the vanity and flying over to grab Marinette’s hand. “You are not stupid. Believe me.”

“Believe  _ me _ ,” Marinette dryly retorted, sinking deeper into the bubbles of her freshly poured bath, “when I say I am. If only you had seen what I did - what I allowed to happen. If you had known what I was-”

“I saw enough Marinette.” Tikki gently rubbed her charge’s hand. “It’s not as bad as you are thinking.”

“It’s not?!” Marinette jerked to a more upright position, flailing her arms and flinging bubbles, and Tikki, into the air. “What did I do when I woke up to find Adrien sleeping right next to me?!”

“I-I don’t know,” Tikki regained her balance, setting herself on the edge of the tub. “I didn’t see that part.”

_ Of course not.  _ Marinette huffed, angrily squirting a dollop of shampoo into her hand. “Well, I’ll tell you what I did.” She roughly lathered the product in. “I freaking touched his hair. I, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, touched Adrien Agreste’s gorgeous hair.”

“And…” Tikki giggled. “What’s so bad about that?”

Closing her eyes, Marinette arched her back, submerging her hair into the water. So what if this was her second bubble bath within twenty-four hours. It wasn’t her fault that her period was about to start. 

Images of Adrien’s sleeping figure flitted through her head. She could still see his serene features - a silent peacefulness about them as gentle and fragile as a placid pond’s reflecting moon. She could still hear his even, contented breaths, telling her of his absolute trust in where and with whom he was sleeping - a subtle fact that still managed to make Marinette’s heart stutter. 

How could she have run away from that? Not when he had looked so content, so vulnerable even. As if her slightest movement - her slightest attempt to leave - would have robbed him of his happiness, his absolute faith in the stability of her presence. 

No. Instead she stayed, deciding, rather to slowly soak everything in. 

To try and understand this rather unbelievable experience.

Marinette exhaled, emerging from the water once again, as her mind replayed the earlier events, rummaging for an answer to Tikki's question.

How the heck was she supposed to just lay there without touching him? What with his slightly parted, beckoning lips and his soft looking skin. Everything about him was calling out to her. Luring her in as if he were some sort of beautiful, magical sleeping siren. 

For the past four years, all Marinette had seemed to think about was what it would be like to be with Adrien - to wake up every morning right next to him. And there he was, looking more angelic and handsome than she even imagined.

The temptation was almost too much to bear. But Marinette somehow resisted. Yes, it was with great determination that she somehow managed to go almost an entire minute without touching Adrien.

For fifty-two whole seconds after waking up, Marinette’s will had been solid as iron.

That was until the state of his extremely seductive, unkempt bed hair sunk in. It was then that her breath had hitched, her heart fluttering at seeing Adrien’s perfect hair looking exactly like Chat’s, and she had involuntarily moved her hand.

Marinette shuddered at the memory of that moment, opening her eyes and ringing the water out of her hair ,  regretting that simple, yet critical, action. 

“It was  _ bad _ because I woke him up,” she finally responded to Tikki. “And sleepy Adrien forgot I wasn’t his wife…”

“Oh…” Tikki scooted closer towards Marinette, the morning sun glinting off her red fur in the process. 

“Yup,” Marinette slowly breathed, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “He said, ‘ _ Good morning princess, _ ’and then pulled me in and kissed me on the forehead.”

She squeezed her legs tightly, trying to keep her rapidly pounding heart from flying out of her chest. Everything about that moment was still so vivid - the sweet, intoxicating aroma that infiltrated and seemed to envelope Marinette in a sea of nothing but Adrien, the comfort she felt at being firmly held within the safe haven of his arms, and the absolute determination she had felt in never wanting to leave them.

It was as if she had lived her entire life as a nomad, aimlessly and unknowingly searching and never finding home until that very moment. That was where she was supposed to be, Marinette knew that now. Nothing in her life had ever felt so perfect, so right as being intertwined with Adrien. They were two sides of the same coin. Marinette and Adrien - Ladybug and Chat Noir. Destiny. That was the only word that could describe it.

There had only been one other time she had felt something quite like it. A time with rain and an umbrella...

“That sounds so cute!” Tikki gathered some bubbles into her hands, making Marinette feel slightly annoyed at how lightly she was treating the situation. “What happened next?”

Sighing, Marinette rested her chin on her knees. This next part, she couldn't even believe herself. “He told me he loved me, and then I told him I loved him back.”

“You did what?!” Tikki blurted, flying towards Marinette and pushing Marinette's head up and off her legs. “You told Adrien you love him!?”

Marinette winced, trying to focus on Tikki's closened image. “I did.”

_ I couldn't stop myself.  _

“Marinette! That’s huge! You finally let your feelings out!”

"I know."

"How did it feel?"

_ Like my heart was going to explode. _

"I-I don't know," Marinette lied, shrugging her shoulders and thinking back to the enormity of that moment. 

It was the first time she had heard those words coming from Adrien's lips. Of course she knew he loved her. One day she would be Mrs. Adrien Agreste. 

But it was different. 

Knowing was one thing. But hearing him profess his love, with her name at the beginning of the sentence - well, Marinette couldn't  _ handle _ the solidity of that realization. 

All reasoning.

All rational thought.

None of it mattered. It was as if it had never even existed. 

Because Adrien Agreste said he loved her.

And she'd be darned if she resisted spilling her own confession. 

So what if he was the Adrien of the future? She loved him. That much was certain. 

"Okay." Tikki retreated a bit, giving Marinette some much desired distance. "So how did he respond?"

Leaning back, Marinette slunk into the water, only shallow enough for her to still be able to speak. “He tried to kiss me and I completely flipped out.”

“Oh my!” Tikki squealed. “That must have been when I woke up.”

“Bingo.” Marinette shut her eyes and completely succumbed to the warm watery depths. 

Her heart thumped dangerously within her chest, crashing and colliding against her ribs. 

Adrien had tried to kiss her.

The moment had been so beautiful.

So …  perfect.

It was everything she had ever dreamed of.

If only she had closed her eyes. If only she had waited, quietly welcoming the warmth of his lips as they softly pressed against hers.

Then maybe, just maybe ,  she wouldn’t be drowning her regrets underneath the water, imagining the sweetness of their almost kiss.

And why?  _ Why _ did she want it so bad?

Wasn’t it wrong?

Wasn’t it a kiss ultimately meant for a different Marinette?

She knew that. Of course her brain did.

_ That  _ was how she had found herself scrambling off the bed, running to the respite of the bathroom in which she hadn’t left since.

She had known it wasn't right - to give her first kiss -her first real kiss- to the Adrien of the future. She had already slipped up, telling him she loved him. Marinette had to save something,  _ something,  _ for her Adrien. 

But why could she not convince her rapidly beating heart of that truth now?

It had been the right choice.

Of course it had been the right decision.

Marinette’s lungs burned, the stinging lack of oxygen painfully reminding her of the flustering moments of the more current situation. 

Maybe things wouldn't have been so bad if she had come out after Adrien had pleaded for forgiveness, explaining that he had unintentionally fallen asleep after carrying her upstairs. (Marinette never had been great at staying awake during late night movies.)

Maybe she wouldn’t feel so embarrassed to see him right now had she just been able to face him right then and there. Buck up to her mistakes. Pridefully accept her final decision.

But luck was not on her side, as things would have it, because right at the very moment she had been thinking of going out, Marinette cramped, a telltale sign that her period was coming.

And what was worse, Adrien knew. He  _ knew  _ exactly what was happening. 

Marinette's body had always been a little strange, sending her a single painful signal just an hour or two before her period inevitably started. 

Of course Adrien would know that! For him, they had been together for what? Eight years? Of course he would recognize the stifled groan she had unwittingly emitted.

And of course, OF COURSE, he would be an extremely amazing husband, offering to go to the store because he already knew she was out of feminine products.

Just what kind of husband even  _ knows  _ that kind of information?

Marinette's already erratic heart skipped a beat as she surfaced, inhaling a much needed breath.

Sometimes Adrien really did seem perfect...

“I just can’t believe the future Marinette wouldn’t have a single pad or tampon anywhere in this house.” Tikki's voice broke Marinette's thoughts, effectively stopping her from going down the rabbit hole of dreaming about Adrien. The little kwami sat back on the edge of the tub, scratching her head. “You’re always so well prepared.”

“That’s the part that doesn’t make sense.” Marinette panted, reaching for a bar of soap. “I can’t believe I would actually allow that to happen. Especially knowing ahead of time about all of these events.”

“Hmm… you’re right.” Tikki crossed her arms. “Maybe you wanted this to happen.”

“And why the heck would I intentionally choose to put myself through this?!” Marinette pointed the soap bar accusingly at Tikki, the words clawing themselves out as she still fought for breath. There was no way. No way she would purposely do this.

“I don’t know.” Tikki shrugged. “Maybe it’s important.”

“Important ho-”

“AKUMA ALERT. AKUMA ALERT.” A loud, computerized voice echoed through the house, causing Marinette to freeze, dropping the soap into her bath.

Geez.

Would there ever be a chance for her heart to slow down?

And… did they seriously have an akuma alert system? She blinked, unbelievingly listening to the obnoxious sound. 

No. She shook her head. She shouldn’t be surprised. This was Ladybug and Chat Noir’s house. Of course they would have something installed to warn them of the appearance of an akuma. If they were there together, it wasn’t as if one of them could just call the other out. No. They simply had to have a quick way to find out if neither of them was out of the house.

“What are you going to do?” Tikki’s concerned voice pierced through Marinette’s revelation.

Marinette fumbled her hand at the bottom of the tub, trying to find the missing bar of soap, her breath still uneven. “W-what do you mean?” 

Tikki pushed her shoulder, forcing her to sit straight up. “I mean,” she cleared her throat. “Are you going to fight?”

Marinette coughed, staring incredulously into Tikki’s eyes. “What? I’ll just leave it up to the adult Chat Noir and Ladybug.”

Tikki’s eyes widened, a look of seriousness in them that Marinette hadn’t experienced in a long time. “You don’t get it do you?” Tikki pointed directly towards Marinette. “Right now, you’re the only Ladybug around.”

Marinette’s breath faltered, her heart sinking at the sudden realization at something so seemingly obvious. Chat Noir needed Ladybug, and right now, she was the only Ladybug that was able to be by his side.

“But-” she exclaimed reaching for the bathtub plug. “How am I supposed to fight without any feminine products?!”

Tikki grinned, a wild uncharacteristically mischievous smile that somehow, no matter how foreign, seemed to fit perfectly on her face. “Just leave that to me, Mare. Your costume is magic after all.”

"Right!" Marinette stood, stepping out of the bathtub and not even bothering to dry off. This was her duty - her job. No one else could help Adrien right now. It was up to her, regardless if she was from another time. Ladybug would never let Chat Noir down. She would never let him fight without her being right there by his side. “Tikki, spots on!”

A surge of pink magic enveloped the superheroine, feeling familiar, yet all too untrodden at the same time. Nothing about the transformation process in itself was inherently different. Yet it was the destination that was different this time. Ladybug was about to go fight alongside her husband. 

Chat Noir was no longer just her silly, pun loving partner.

No. 

He was Adrien Agreste.

And she was his future bride.

“Let’s do this!” she shouted confidently, rushing into the bedroom and out the sliding door to the balcony. She extended her yoyo to a nearby tree, flinging herself into the welcoming morning sky. Nothing would slow her down from getting to her partner’s side. Not the fleeting embarrassment she had felt at sending Adrien to buy feminine products for her. Nor the tinge of guilt she had felt for longing for something she was not yet ready for. No. Marinette would not be distracted from her mission. 

Not even by the slight, seemingly misplaced movement she noticed out of the corner of her eye… 


	16. Black Tip

This wasn’t the first time Adrien had been met with the unfortunate duty of having to buy feminine products, and he was certain that it wouldn’t be the last. Regardless of that fact, and the whole volunteering himself to do this, he still hated every second of this monotonous task.

He internally groaned, looking at the voluminous options in front of him. It wasn’t that he necessarily disliked the act of buying something so personal for his wife - he was a man, he could handle a few strange looks in the checkout line. No, the ever-present problem he always faced in this situation was the fact that he never knew what on earth he was supposed to buy.

No matter how many times he studied her packages at home, swearing he would be able to pick them out next time, it didn’t matter. The designs were constantly changing, and Adrien had a growing suspicion that the product designers were not-so-secretly laughing at how many men they’d managed to dupe this time. 

“Can I help you?” 

Adrien jumped at the sudden voice, turning to find a teenage girl standing much closer than he would have liked. With her high, brown ponytail and tiny figure, she looked hardly old enough to be in high school, let alone an employee of this store. Yet here she was: blue vest, nametag, and all, standing there with a smile on her face, ready to give him advice.

This was always the worst part, and Adrien mentally kicked himself for taking so long to decide what to buy. 

“Yes,” he replied in the manliest tone he could muster - thankful for the fact he had stopped modeling a long time ago and didn't have to worry about this teenager recognizing him as someone famous. “My wife gave all of her monthly products to a friend, because - er," he scratched the back of his neck. "Well, she didn’t need them for a while and…”

“Oh my! Congratulations!” The girl excitedly bounced up and down. “Was it a girl or a boy?”

“What?” Adrien blinked, not sure what the girl could be so amped up about. “My wife gave them to a girl.” He paused. “Wait. Why does that even matter?”

And why had she congratulated him?

“I’m not talking about her friend.” She grinned as she tried to still herself. “But fine. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t press the matter. I can already tell by looking at  _ you _ , that your wife must be one proud mother.”

Adrien froze, only able to watch as Sherry - the name he had read on her tag - giddily turned on her heels and grabbed a few boxes off the shelf.

“Here.” She shoved them into his arms. “This should last for a few months.”

As she started to walk away, she turned to look back over her shoulder, “And here's a little advice. Don’t just focus on taking care of your wife and little one. Get some sleep. It looks like you could use some rest.”

...___…

Adrien walked out of the store, a blast of warm air rushing at him as he gripped the rough handles of the plastic bag tightly in his hand. That had been a disaster. That  _ Sherry  _ hadn’t even allowed him to get a word in. Marinette had  _ not  _ given birth and he wasn’t lacking sleep because of a  _ baby _ in his house!

Sure, she had been right about him looking tired. Heck. He was exhausted! It had been what, one o’clock when he had carried Marinette upstairs and stupidly fallen asleep right beside her? He had just meant to relax for a moment - to slightly rest his eyes. But nope! Sleep had such a funny way of taunting him, making him fall under immediately, plaguing him with restless nightmares the entire night.

He walked up to his car, opening the passenger door and placing the bag inside. Closing the door, he turned, leaning his back against the car and drooping his head. 

If it wouldn’t have been for that stupid phone conversation, then maybe he would have gotten some rest. 

He sighed, tousling his hair with his hand. 

Marinette had said something big was about to happen, and he had felt uneasy ever since. Whatever was coming, it had been important enough for future him to tell her that everything must remain the same. 

_ It must be something good.  _ He had told himself after their conversation had ended. Why else would he not want anything to change?

But when he closed his eyes, those slight twinges of doubt he had buried deep inside maliciously grew, bringing themselves to the forefront of his mind. And by the time he had fully awoke - when Marinette slammed the bathroom door - he knew that regardless of what good may come from this event, there was surely something at least as terribly bad on its way.

Nothing joyous in his life ever came without a price, and he was sure it wouldn’t be any different this time.

Even marrying Marinette had cost him his relationship with his father. He had become too complacent, thinking the next few months would pass without some kind of sick, cruel demand from his life.

_ Soon. _

That was what Marinette had said.

_ But was he really ready to fight? _

Adrien straightened, the keys jingling in his fingers as he stepped around the car. He needed to get back to Marinette.

Screams of citizens erupted from down the street just as Adrien grabbed the handle to his door. 

He froze, wishing he really hadn’t just jinxed this moment.

Plagg zoomed out of his pocket. “I really was trying to give you some space after all  _ that _ .” He grimaced, motioning his hands towards the store. “But it sounds like my presence is needed.”

“Thanks Plagg.” Adrien dropped his hand, knowing the situation in the store must have been really bad for even Plagg to resist mocking him. “Let’s find a place to transform.”

...___…

Following the direction where the screams were the loudest, Adrien quickly found his target. 

The akuma stood in the middle of the plaza directly in front of the Louvre, waving a tan sabre and shouting something that Adrien wasn't quite close enough to hear. He was wearing a sandy colored one-piece suit that resolved into tan in the middle and black along his sides. On his back was a tan fin with a black tip and his hair was colored and pointed in the same fashion. His mask was the same sand color as his suit, with black underlining his eyes. 

  
  


"Welcome to the show, Chat Noir!" The villain bowed deeply to Adrien as soon as Adrien’s feet touched the ground in front of him. "Finally, a worthy opponent has arrived."

"At your service." Adrien bowed in reply. He smirked, glancing mischievously into the villain's eyes - truly looking at his features for the first time. 

He gasped. 

It wasn't unusual for Adrien to recognize the person akumatized. But this time... this time he really wished he wasn't right. 

"Jeffrey?" he asked, taking a step towards the villain. 

"I'm Black Tip now!" the villain curtly responded, pointing his sabre directly towards Adrien. "I'm no longer that weak boy!"

"What happened to you?" Adrien slowly placed his hand on his baton as he cautiously advanced. 

Black Tip firmly gripped his pommel. "It doesn't matter, Cat-breath, now fight!" He lunged forward, swiping the sword at Adrien’s neck.

Adrien quickly parried his attack, treating his baton more like a sabre out of reflex. 

"Oh, I see you've got some skills," Black Tip sneered, "but nothing you do will be enough to win."

"Is that right?" Adrien thrust forward, sliding beneath his opponent's sword and slashing at him from behind. 

But before his baton could make contact, Black Tip evaded his attack, ducking under Adrien’s strike. 

Adrien blinked, recognizing the move he had just completed as the villain seemingly vanished from his vision.

But he knew. 

There was only one place Black Tip could have gone.

And Adrien was defenseless, lacking the speed he needed in order to save himself as Black Tip inevitably attacked from behind.

"No you don't!" 

The melodious sound of Ladybug’s yo-yo sliced through the air behind Adrien completely severing all sense of hopelessness. 

He turned sharply, catching a glimpse of Black Tip’s sabre as it flew directly into Ladybug’s arms. 

“Good luck fighting without this!” she shouted, parading her loot from a seemingly safe distance.

_ Great job, Marinette.  _ Adrien smiled at her little dance. It really was surreal seeing the younger Ladybug in action again.

“Ladybug.” Black Tip’s growl quickly turned Adrien's focus back on the villain. “It’s an honor.” The akuma falsely smiled, half bowing, his eyes never once leaving Ladybug. “I knew you wouldn’t be gone for long.”

Adrien’s breath caught in his throat. He hadn’t told Marinette about the future Ladybug’s prolonged absence yet.

“What are you talking-”

“Your fight is with me,” Adrien snapped as he leaped towards the villain.

Once again, Black Tip vanished only to appear a second later at Ladybug’s side.

“Oh really, Chat Noir,” Black Tip sneered as he forcefully snatched his sabre from her hands, aiming it just inches away from her chest. “Looks like I’ve caught the bug. Monarch will be pleased; she wasn’t expecting me to so easily find the Ladybug miraculous.”

“Monarch?” Ladybug threw a questioning glance towards Adrien.

He shrugged his shoulders, placing the baton back in his belt as he crept forward, trying to sneak towards the distracted villain. Monarch wasn’t a name he had heard before either, but he would allow Marinette to be the one to ask the questions.

“That’s right,” Black Tip chuckled, taking a step towards Marinette and resting his sword against her chest. “You two wouldn’t know about my master yet, seeing as how I am her first villain.”

Bile burned against Adrien’s throat at seeing Marinette in such a vulnerable position. He wanted to run, to quickly strike down his opponent. But he knew he had to be patient. Black Tip was fast. And so far, he hadn’t taken his focus off Ladybug enough to notice Adrien’s change in location. If Adrien had any chance of beating him, he would have to catch him off guard, regardless of his Lady’s current situation.

_ She can handle herself. _ Adrien silently inhaled, trying to slow his heartbeat.

“So Hawkmoth finally retired.” Ladybug smirked, buying a few more seconds for Adrien. “It’s about time. I’m honestly surprised he lasted this long.” She placed her hands on her hips, unphased by the sabre at all. “I wonder what sort of sick, twisted woman he tricked into taking up his mantle. Is she really the one in charge? Or is he still the mastermind calling all the shots?”

Adrien stifled a laugh. He was only a few steps away now, and he really could not afford to make any sound at this distance. All he had to do was close the gap and call out his cataclysm quickly enough for him to destroy the akumatized item. He could do this. 

“Hawkmoth is gone,” Black tip scoffed, his voice suddenly sounding more menacing. Adrien knew from experience that now, it wasn’t really the villain speaking. Even with Black Tip’s back towards him, Adrien could still distinctly make out the butterfly shape covering the villain’s eyes. His voice was no longer his own; this was Monarch speaking. “He threw his miraculous out!”

Adrien took another step forward as Black Tip crossed his arms. “But thankfully, I had already figured out his identity and was following him at the time. He practically gave me the miraculous.”

“Thanks for the monologue,” Ladybug crossed her own arms, resting them directly beneath the sabre, “but I don’t really care how you got your miraculous. All that matters is that I am going to defeat your villain and then come after  _ you  _ next.”

Adrien’s pulse quickened. He knew Marinette was stalling - he only had a few more steps - but did she really need to be provoking the new holder of the butterfly miraculous? They didn’t even know anything about this unfamiliar villain or how dangerous she was yet.

He shook his head, trying to not think about this new, troubling information. They had been fighting Hawkmoth for twelve years. Never once had he shown any signs of giving in. But suddenly he just threw out his miraculous?

None of this made sense.

Hawkmoth was gone?

Just like that, he had vanished?

No.

Adrien took another step forward. He couldn’t think about this right now. His main focus had to be in defeating this villain. 

Jeffrey.

His heart sunk, remembering that Black Tip was his fencing student. What had happened to him? What could have been so bad that had caused him to turn into a villain?

_ Focus, Adrien! _ He shook his head again. One more step. That’s all it would take.

“CATACLYSM!” He shouted, darting around Black Tip and reaching for his sword. 

But he had been too slow. Before he could make contact, the villain had already vanished.

Adrien stumbled forward, the momentum of his attack causing him to fall directly into Marinette’s arms - thankful that his hand had been pointed in the other direction, his cataclysm barely missing her as he fell.

“Hi Kitty.” She smiled, pushing against his chest, setting him back on balance. “This guy’s fast. How are we going to beat him?”

“You’re asking me?” Adrien pointed his index finger at his own chest, dispelling the cataclysm in his other hand.  _ That’s a first. _

“Well you  _ do _ have eight more years of experience,” she smirked, flicking his bell, making his stomach flip at her flirtatiousness. She looked down at his right hand. “Why did you get rid of your cataclysm? Now you won’t be able to use it.”

Adrien smirked, if she could get away with some playful banter, so could he. “Don’t worry about that, m’Lady,” he bopped her nose with the finger that had been against his chest. “This cat has learned some new tricks.”

“Are you two lovebirds forgetting something?” Black Tip sung, once again using his own voice, just a few feet behind them. “It’s pretty obvious you can’t catch me, so be good little vermin and hand over your miraculous!”

“So what do you think his power is?” Marinette whispered, turning to face the villain. “You know, besides weilding a sabre.”

Adrien thought about it for a moment, reaching his hand towards his baton. “Earlier, he perfectly copied the move I tried to hit him with - only he was much faster. Maybe his power is some sort of mimicry.”

“That could be dangerous,” Marinette frowned, beginning to spin her yo-yo. “He’s already seen your cataclysm. Do you think he can copy powers?”

“I doubt it,” Adrien firmly spoke, extending his baton and taking a step towards the villain. “If he could, I think he would have already used it.”

Black Tip readied his weapon. “So, I take it you're not planning on giving up?” He smiled. “Good. I was in need of some practice. Maybe you won’t let me down, unlike my so-called teacher, Adrien.”

Adrien froze, a lump forming in the back of his throat. So _ that  _ was what all of this was about? Adrien had been the cause of this poor boy’s akumatization? 

He felt Marinette’s hand on his shoulder, her yo-yo slowing its momentum. He hadn’t yet told her that this villain was his student.

“I’m sure this  _ Adrien _ ,” Marinette squeezed his shoulder, kindly speaking up for him, “must have had a good reason-”

“He promised!” Black Tip shouted, lowering his sabre and his gaze, his shoulders shaking with his raw, pent-up emotion. “He promised me he would teach me his special move before my competition. But he lied.” Black Tip clenched his fists, gripping the sabre even tighter. “Because of him,” he growled, “I lost the competition and didn’t get the money I needed.”

“You never told m- Adrien you needed money,” Adrien softly spoke, slowly lowering his baton and placing it on the ground. Standing back up he added, “What happened?”

“Loan sharks,” Black Tip snapped, tensing his shoulders. “They came looking for my dad, but when they couldn’t find him -or the money- they decided to beat me up instead.”

“What are you doing?” Marinette whispered from behind Adrien’s shoulder. “Why did you put your baton down?”

Adrien strung his fingers through his hair, sighing, “We can’t beat him like this. He’ll just copy or evade any of our advances. Just trust me, Bugaboo. This is the only way we can win.”

Taking the hint, Marinette gingerly bent forward, placing her weapon directly next to Adrien’s.

“But no more,” Black Tip gathered his composure, lifting his sabre, once again, to a fighting position. “They were the first ones I took down with my new powers. It will be a while before they wake up, I imagine.” He smirked, vanishing from sight, only to reappear, frozen with his sword inches away from Adrien.

Adrien grinned, knowing the villain had finally noticed he and his Lady had laid down their weapons. It was just as he had thought. Jeffery wouldn’t attack an unarmed opponent.

“So you’ve given up,” the akuma snarled, lowering his own weapon. “Wise choice, even though I'm slightly disappointed.” He sighed. “I’ll be taking your miraculous then.”

The sun glinted off something on Black Tip’s chest. Adrien squinted, instantly recognizing the shark tooth necklace. It had been a gift from Jeffrey's dad. Well, it hadn’t always been a shark tooth, but Adrien just knew what this object once had been - and what it had meant to his student. 

“As you wish,” Adrien bowed his head, raising his right, ringed, hand towards the villain. 

Just as Black Tip was about to take Adrien’s miraculous, Adrien shouted, “Cataclysm!” lurching forward and grabbing the villain’s necklace instead. 

The tooth and chain crumbled in his fingertips, leaving a fluttering sensation in his palm. “For you, M’Lady,” he said, turning towards a blushing Marinette and transferring the akuma into her hand.

He set his attention back on Jeffrey, who now sat crumpled on the ground, his head buried in his hands. 

“It’s going to be okay.” Adrien leaned down, grabbing Jeffrey’s arm to help him stand. He could hear Marinette purifying the akuma off in the distance. “I know you’re upset about what happened, but I promise Adrien will come to help you as soon as he finds out about this.”

“Lucky Charm!” Adrien heard Marinette call out behind him. Of course she would have to do that; she couldn’t use her Miraculous Ladybug without the Lucky Charm. He snickered to himself, proud of his accomplishment- it wasn’t often they beat a villain without having to use it.

“You’re right.” Jeffrey dusted off his pants as Adrien let go of his arm. “I should have never doubted Adrien.”

“Now, that’s the spirit!” Adrien smiled, smacking his hand playfully against Jeffrey’s back. “Let me just take you home, then I’ll go explain the situation to Adrien.”

“Miraculous Ladybug!” 

Swirls of pink and red ladybugs danced and twirled, one surrounding the ashes of Jeffrey’s necklace in Adrien's hand as the others rushed off into the distance.

“Please don’t tell Adrien about this,” Jeffrey pleaded, averting his gaze to the ground, crossing one arm against his torso and squeezing his other elbow. “He’ll just think less of me, and I really don’t want-”

“He won’t think less of you.” Adrien leaned forward gently clasping the gold chain around Jeffrey's neck. “He’s your teacher. He loves you, no matter your current financial situation.”

“You really think so?” Jeffrey looked into his eyes, filling Adrien with all of his hopes - his sadness.

Adrien nodded. “Come on kid,” he barely managed to say, fighting the tears that were trying to form in his eyes. “Let’s get you home.”

“Chat,” Ladybug called softly from behind him, her voice sounding shaky and uneven.

Adrien’s heart clenched at her tone as he turned, seeing her face shining a bright red.

“I need your help.” She looked to the ground, embarrassed.

“It’s okay, Chat Noir.” Jeffrey patted his shoulder. “I can get home just fine on my own. It looks like Ladybug needs you way more.”

Adrien slowly swallowed. “Right,” he said, walking towards Marinette. “Ladybug, what’s wrong?”

She bit her lips, her cheeks somehow turning even more crimson. “Not here,” she whispered. “I’ll tell you when we’re alone.”

“Thanks for saving me.” Jeffrey’s voice chirruped from where Adrien had left him. “I’ll be heading out now.”

“Get home safe,” Marinette bellowed, exuding an all-too-obvious false confidence, whilst grabbing Adrien’s arm and pulling him in the opposite direction. “Sorry we couldn’t see you home.”

Adrien’s feet dragged a moment until he could regain his balance, steadying himself to match Marinette’s quickened pace. His heart beat wildly in his chest. Marinette had never acted like this. 

She turned, leading him down a secluded alleyway, checking to make sure no one had seen them go in.

“W-What’s going on?” He huffed when they finally stopped. They were standing at a dead end, wedged between three brick buildings with no windows or doors near them. Adrien was familiar with this particular location. He and Ladybug often chose it as a secluded place for their transformations.

“I’m an idiot,” she covered her face with her hands, “and I don’t have time to make it home before my miraculous runs out.”

“So?” Adrien soothingly rubbed her head. “That happens all the time. Just transform now. It will be fine.”

Marinette peeked through her fingers, like a child trying to decide whether or not to trust a stranger for the first time. 

His heart fluttered.

_ So cute! _ His mind screamed, as he willingly stopped himself from just sweeping her into his arms and lovingly peeling her hands away from her eyes.

“What is always true about the state of our transformation?” Marinette matter-of-factly asked, her miraculous beeping to remind them of the immediateness of her situation. 

At this point she had what, three, no two minutes left? 

Adrien pondered, trying to think of how to best answer her question. “Umm, I don’t know,” he faltered. “We always go back to how we were before we activated our miraculous. Is that what you’re getting at?”

Marinette nodded.

“Oh.” Adrien moved his hands to her shoulders. “Does this have to do with your period? I’m sorry, I haven't been able to get your supplies to you yet.”

Marinette closed her fingers again. “That has something to do with it.” Her voice was muffled.

“I’m so sorry." Adrien reflexively wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a tight embrace. “Is there something I can do? Do you want me to run to the closest store again?”

Marinette took a deep breath. “I need your miraculous.” she lowered her hands, pushing against his chest so she could look up at him.

Adrien blinked, trying to think how on earth Plagg could help with her situation.

“It was my Lucky Charm,” she chewed at her lip. “It was what reminded me of my problem.”

Adrien raised his brow, his curiosity piqued. “And just what  _ was _ this mysterious item?”

Marinette’s face flushed once again as she cleared her throat.

“I’m waiting.” He tapped his fingers against her back, only feeling slightly guilty at pushing her buttons.

Aiming her gaze towards Adrien’s chest, Marinette whispered, “A towel.”

Adrien dropped his arms, only now realizing how close he had accidentally gotten. It didn’t take a genius to pick up on the gist of that Lucky Charm’s insinuation. He backed away from Marinette, turning away so she could not see how flushed his  _ own _ face had suddenly gotten.

Her miraculous beeped again. One more minute.

“That’s why I need your-”

“Plagg, claws in.” His voice shook as he was surrounded by a flash of green. Plagg appeared in front of him, looking disgruntled as he stared at the brick buildings around them.

“This isn’t home,” Plagg whined, crossing his arms. “What’s the deal, Adrien?”

“Not now,” Adrien curtly responded, reaching into his pocket, grabbing a chunk of cheese and shoving in his kwami’s mouth. “Eat.”

Plagg easily obliged, swallowing the smelly morsel in one, seamless bite.

“Now, here’s what’s going to happen,” Adrien quickly spoke. “You are going to close your eyes, and I am going to give Marinette your miraculous.”

“Why?” Plagg glanced over Adrien’s shoulder towards Marinette.

Adrien’s ears burned, his blood boiling at the audacity of Plagg’s statement.

“Please, Plagg,” Marinette cooed softly. “You’re the only one who can help. I don’t have any cookies for Tikki and-”

“Okay.” Plagg darted past Adrien, towards the girl behind him. “Anything for you, Marinette.”

“Hey!” Adrien snapped, refusing to turn his head in Marinette’s direction.

“What?” Plagg sung, mockingly. “ _ She _ asked nicely. You should really try it sometime.”

Adrien let out an exasperated sigh. Plagg always had taken a preference to Marinette. It really wasn’t fair at times.

“Thank you, Plagg.”

She paused.

“You know, I really wish I could have seen your face,” Marinette casually added, obviously aiming this statement towards Adrien.

“What?” He crossed his arms, forcing himself not to turn around to look at her facial expression.

“When you transformed,” she answered. “It was my first time seeing it. I wish I could have seen something besides your back. It really was magnificent.” 

“I’m sorry," Adrien breathed, remembering the first time he had seen Ladybug turn back into Marinette. That had been one of the most magical, beautiful moments in his entire life, and he felt terrible that Marinette had only gotten to see his backside. "I'm sure it will be a lot more special for you next time."

He fumbled with the ring on his finger as her miraculous beeped its final warning. “Plagg, close your eyes,” he demanded.

The walls around him flashed pink, and Adrien hurriedly shut his eyes. He backed up, hoping to better shield Marinette if someone were to come around the corner. He took his ring off, shuddering at the thought of Marinette standing behind him. 

"Marinette!" Adrien suddenly heard Tikki squeak. 

"I know, Tikki," Marinette glumly responded, making Adrien's heart jitter at the sound of her voice. "Sometimes I can be really stupid."

"Adrien,” she compassionately spoke. “Your miraculous?"

He reached his arm and the ring, awkwardly behind him. “Plagg, make sure to keep your eyes closed when she transforms back and quickly fly out of the room, okay?”

“Yes,  _ master _ .” Plagg’s voice oozed with sarcasm at the latter word.

Marinette gently took the ring from Adrien’s hand, somehow managing to grab it without touching his skin - which was quite a relief to Adrien.

"Here," she blurted as two, small objects landed in his palm. "I can't leave you without a miraculous. Once Tikki can get some cookies, she'll be good to go again."

Adrien nodded, closing his fingers around the earrings, knowing it would be useless to protest. It would be foolish for one of them to not have a miraculous. And even with Tikki being out of power, wearing both the cat and ladybug miraculous could be dangerous. 

“Okay,” Marinette said. Taking in an audible, deep breath. “Here goes. Plagg, CLAWS OUT!”

Adrien could see the flash of green light through his closed eyelids. Knowing it was now safe, he opened his eyes, hurriedly inserting the earrings into his ears. 

"You look so cute!" Tikki giddily shouted. "I love your cat ears!"

Adrien slowly turned around, his breath hitching and heart accelerating as his eyes rested on Marinette.

_ Cute.  _ He thought, referring back to what Tikki had said, his jaw nearly dropping as he took in Marinette's appearance.  _ Well, that's one word for it... _

This wasn’t the first time Adrien had seen Marinette using his miraculous, they had once been forced to fight with their miraculouses switched. But that time, he had been too focused on beating the akuma to truly appreciate her image - not that it would have helped. This time, things were completely different.

Not only was Marinette three years older than she had been the last time - a fact that allowed her curves, her more womanly body to perfectly fill the suit - but this time,  _ this time _ Adrien knew that the girl wearing  _ his  _ miraculous would one day be his wife. 

“Are you okay?” Marinette stepped forward, placing her hand on Adrien’s shoulder.

He flinched, recoiling from her touch as his heart was sent into overdrive. 

“Aww, is the little kitty struggling with seeing Lady Noire again?” She pouted, playfully tickling underneath his chin, causing him to breath in her sweet, intoxicating scent. 

“Stop that!” He jumped back, assuming an overly dramatic defensive position.

“Pft,” she chuckled, hunching her shoulders and touching her fist to the bottom of her nose.

Adrien could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. She was mocking him! This young, supposedly innocent Marinette, was enjoying seeing him suffer at looking upon her visage.

_ Not much has changed. _ He thought, remembering all-to-well how he had been treated by the Marinette of the future.

“You're too cruel.” He straightened, somewhat regaining his composure. “If you don’t stop laughing like that, I can’t promise I’ll continue to keep my paws to myself.”

“Too bad I currently have your paws, then,” she sung as a tear literally slid, joyously, from her eye. 

“Oh really?” Adrien raised a single eyebrow, crossing his arms.

This was getting dangerous.

“Would you like to bet on that statement?” He smirked..

Marinette crouched, pulling out her baton, extending it horizontally in front of her.

“Absolutely.” she winked. “Right now I’m the only one with powers.”

Adrien’s jaw unwittingly dropped. Was this girl seriously not the Marinette of the future? 

He lunged forward, only to find Marinette vaulting over his head.

“Now, now kitty,” she smugly cooed, flicking her braid over her shoulder. “Don’t forget, you promised to help Jeffrey this evening.”

“But-” he paused.

“Okay,” he whined, looking at Marinette as she stood, one hand on her hip and one leg crossed, leaning against her baton. 

“I might be gone all evening.” He scraped his foot against the pavement. “And I didn’t even get the chance to take the products I bought back to the house.”

"I'll take them to her!" Tikki unexpectedly chimed in. 

Adrien darted his attention to the familiar creature as she fluttered to him, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. The little Kwami had been quiet during this entire, awkward encounter, and Adrien suddenly felt sorry for Tikki having to see her charge using another miraculous. They were both equally at a loss at how to respond to this odd situation. 

“Okay.” Adrien winked towards Tikki. "We can drive to Jeffrey's house together. Then you can take the bag over to Marinette. Don't worry, I'll draw you a map so you don't get lost."

Tikki smiled. "Thanks, Adrien!"

"Now that that's settled," Marinette interjected, "I guess that's my queue to go."

Adrien blinked, looking her direction, unable to get a response passed his suddenly clenched throat. 

“Take care of Jeffrey,” she commanded, lengthening the baton and soaring into the sky. She gracefully landed on the nearby roof, glancing back only long enough to shout, “I’ll see you later Chaton.”

He exhaled, relief spreading as a cleansing wave through his entire body. 

"Well,  _ that _ was certainly interesting." Tikki plopped onto Adrien's shoulder. "I've never seen Marinette act like that before."

"I have." Adrien closed his eyes, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart down. "You and Plagg usually decide that's the time for you to skedaddle when she starts up that act."

Thank  _ goodness _ Marinette would be returning from Milan tomorrow. 

"I see," Tikki squeaked. "I think I'll have a talk with her when we all get home."

Adrien could feel the heat rising to his face once again at the thought of  _ that _ conversation. 

"You do that," he coughed, opening his eyes to see the empty alleyway in front of him. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yep!" she sung, scurrying into his shirt pocket.

Adrien smiled. It would be refreshing having Tikki with him for a while. 

He boldly took a step forward. Tikki was just what he needed right now. His smile widened. 

Tomorrow his wife would be home. 


	17. Danishes

_ Just twenty more minutes.  _ Marinette smiled to herself, closing the oven and setting the timer. The only thing left to do within that time was to whip up the glaze - a task she had completed hundreds of times.

She had finished preparing the dough and the passion fruit curd the night before. Adrien’s absence, though essential and quite important, had left her mind wandering crazily. Plagg hadn’t been up for much conversation, and Marinette had needed anything,  _ anything _ to keep her from thinking about her actions from earlier in the evening. 

She had tried picking a movie; there was an eight year supply of content to catch up on. Surely, with that kind of selection, she could keep her mind busy. 

But no.

Nomatter what she tried- romance (a really bad idea), comedy, action, and even anime- nothing kept her mind from wandering back to her idiotic, flirtatious actions. 

"Why did I act like that?!" Marinette had groaned, while flipping through the options on the screen, nearly flinging the remote as she flailed her arms in the process. 

But it wasn’t just her own actions that had kept her from being able to focus on the TV. No. It had been that gosh darn cat with his smarmy smirking and banter. This was nothing unusual from him, really, but knowing he was Adrien, that he would one day be her… lover.

That made things different.

Different enough for her to turn into a full on seductrice as soon as she activated the black cat miraculous. Seriously! What was up with that ring?! It wasn’t until she had detransformed and Plagg had dashed out of the room that she realized what she had been doing.

‘Operation: Don’t Tempt my Future Husband’ had been a disaster, and images of Adrien’s surprised face, leading into him eventually reaching, no chasing after her plagued her thoughts, completely covering up anything that was being shown on the TV screen.

No.

Watching something was not enough. She had to find something that would require her to think. To occupy so much of her mind, that there was no room for any more of these mindless images. She needed to focus - to be active...

“That’s it!” she had shouted, turning off the TV. Why hadn’t she thought of this before?

The solution was simple. Baking.

Make something new.

Focus all of her mind and energy on making something unique, something she could give to Adrien in the morning.

And that’s what she had done, spending nearly an hour alone just thinking of the perfect recipe. By the time she had completed the homemade dough and her own, special passionfruit curd, she had been too tired to think of anything. Adrien and Tikki still hadn’t come home, but she didn’t care - all she wanted to do was sleep.

Marinette had only been mildly aware of Tikki tiredly returning, mumbling something about Marinette’s behavior and how they would discuss it in the morning. But she had been too tired to respond, not even opening her eyes or shifting in her covers to let Tikki know she had heard her. And much to Marinette’s happiness, Tikki had shown no signs of waking up any time soon this morning.

_ Strange. _ Marinette had thought not long after she had dragged herself out of bed, trying her best to make her way down the stairs without them creaking. She was hardly ever the first person awake within a house. Granted, she didn’t know Adrien or Plagg’s sleeping patterns, but he had always seemed like a person that would be an early riser. 

_ Clearly _ she needed to shift her thinking. Because sure enough, there he had been, sprawled on the couch, mouth hanging slightly open at well past nine in the morning.

Marinette had gasped slightly, her heart palpitating at seeing his unkempt yet all too attractive appearance, immediately averting her gaze and rushing into the kitchen.

Flashes of the day before danced at the edges of her thoughts, but she had quickly gotten to work, focusing on assembling her premade ingredients, adding some more personal touches here and there as she molded her pastries. But the work had gone by quicker than she expected, and here she was, left with only the simplest of tasks before she was finished.

Marinette sighed, turning away from the oven, looking haphazardly across the kitchen. It was a beautiful morning, and Marinette paused for a moment, soaking in the room's cozy and heartwarming feeling. This kitchen wasn't huge by any means, but it had everything she could possibly need. With white, speckled granite countertops and white cabinets, it was perfect at reflecting the light pouring in through the eastward facing windows. Being open to the living room certainly helped with its overall brightness and a feeling of largeness even though the space was relatively small. 

She glanced towards the leftover fruit on the counter, wondering for the millionth time if making a passionfruit Danish was the right decision.

Sure, she had long known passionfruit was one of Adrien’s favorite flavors. In her younger, cringeworthy stalker years (as she called them), it had been easy for her to figure out he liked it. But she had wasted so much time making those silly passionfruit macarons, nearly killing someone else with her obsession in the process, and she hadn’t made one for him since. 

What if this time was just as disastrous? She lowered her head, rubbing both of her hands violently through her hair. What if passion fruit flavored items brought bad luck and something terrible happened?

A moaning sound from the living room interrupted her thoughts. Lowering her hands from her head, she tiptoed forward, glancing over the counter, and catching her breath at seeing Adrien stretching on the couch.

_ I’m not ready for him to wake up! _ She internally screamed, standing as still as possible, continuing to hold her breath. 

Relaxing his arms back down, he tucked his hands beneath his chin, turning to his side, beginning to breathe deep, sleep-filled breaths. With his face now aimed directly towards Marinette, she couldn’t help but to be pulled in, unable to break her gaze from his serene, restful features. 

Her heart faltered as she tried to inhale, maintaining a rhythm of slow, steady breaths. She still couldn’t believe it. Adrien Agreste was sleeping right in front of her. She was in his house,  _ her _ house, eight years in the future. 

Nothing about this seemed real. Could this  _ really _ be her life? Or was she stuck in some sort of dream. Maybe the akuma had put her into some sort of fantasy world instead of actually being sent in the future.

If that were the case, then none of this was actually happening. Maybe Chat Noir wasn’t even really Adrien. And if all that was true then what happened the day before, it would have all just been in her imagination!

_ Stop being stupid!  _ Marinette slapped at her cheeks, trying to force herself to focus. This was real. It was too far fetched to be something that she could have conjured on her own. No. All of this was happening, and she just needed to own up to her mistakes and finish making breakfast!

She relaxed her shoulders, walking back over to the island in the center of the kitchen, grabbing the bag of confectionary sugar and a measuring cup. Meticulously measuring one half of a cup, Marinette dumped the sugar into an empty bowl she had already set out on the counter. 

Since all of this was real - she tapped her chin, walking over to the refrigerator and grabbing the gallon of milk - then soon, and very soon she would be revealing herself to  _ her  _ Adrien. A shiver ran down her spine. What would she say? How would she even approach him?

Marinette carefully poured two tablespoons worth of milk into the bowl, thinking about what she had been doing before she ended up in the future. 

She and Chat had just arrived at the scene of the Akuma. 

Adrien said that she will return on the same day, but did that mean she would magically reappear in that exact moment, or would she arrive after the battle was over?

She reached for the vanilla, adding half a teaspoon, imagining herself trying to defeat an Akuma alongside an oblivious, younger Adrien. Would she be able to do it? Or would she immediately spill her secret, rushing at him, unable to keep her hands, her lips to herself?

Because no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, the more time she spent here, the more and more she just wanted to kiss Adrien.

Shuttering at that dangerous thought, she picked up an unused passionfruit and a fine grater, zesting just the right amount into the soon-to-be mixture.

Marinette sighed, realizing that trying to predict the future was futile as she grabbed a spoon from the drawer, beginning to mix the glaze. And even though Adrien could just give her all the answers, she knew, without a doubt, there was no point in asking - he wouldn't.

"Mmmm," Marinette froze, hearing the said man’s voice suddenly behind her. "How did you know to make my favorite breakfast?"

"What?!" She squeaked, hastily turning to face him, her glaze covered spoon only coming inches from bopping him in the nose. 

Gently pushing the utensil down, out of his face, Adrien softly smiled. "Well, good morning to you, too, Mare Bear."

Marinette’s throat tightened, her breaths now hot and staggered, acutely aware of his fingers resting atop of hers against the spoon.

"Not that I wouldn't mind a taste,” he added, “but please try not wack me in the face."

“I didn’t,” she snarkily rebutted, pulling her hand from his grasp and placing the spoon into the bowl.

Right. Act like Ladybug. Don’t be affected by him.

“And if you don’t want to get creamed in the face,” she placed her hand on her hip, pointing her other index finger directly towards Adrien, “then don’t sneak up on someone working in the kitchen!”

“Besides," she added, "what do you mean this is your favorite breakfast? This is my first time making this. And how do you  _ even _ know what I’m baking?”

“Really?” Adrien raised his brow. “Well, it’s certainly not the first time I’ve had it. I’d recognize the smell of your passion fruit Danishes anytime.”

Marinette pouted, it really was hard to try out new recipes on someone from the future, especially when that person was her husband. Well, she supposed, it must be a success since Adrien was saying it was his favorite breakfast. 

“But this is actually the first time you ever made it?” Adrien smiled, scratching the back of his head. “This whole time travel thing is so weird. No wonder you were so confident that I would love it.”

“Right,” Marinette responded, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms, resigning herself not to think too much about it. Adrien was right. This whole time travel business really was bizarre. “So how did things go with Jeffery last night?”

Adrien sighed, moving to lean against the counter alongside Marinette, his hands resting awkwardly on the countertop behind him. "It went." He crossed his feet.

"Honestly, it was really hard hearing about his situation. Apparently his dad is an alcoholic and caused his family to fall into loads of debt."

Adrien raised one hand brushing his fingers through his hair along one entire side of his head. "I know Chat Noir promised that Adrien would help him, but I really don't know what the correct solution is."

Marinette unfurled her arms, standing up straight and turning towards him. "Adrien, I'm-"

"Don't worry about it," he raised his hand, smiling that fake smile she had seen on Chat Noir a million times. Man, she really had been oblivious to his emotions. Clearly, the smile wasn't reaching his eyes. How many times had she ignored his pain, his sadness just because she didn't want to see it - to actually look at him close enough to figure out something was wrong? 

"I'll figure it out," he continued as Marinette tried not to cry, thinking of all those missed moments of providing him comfort. "Besides, let's not talk about this right now, I really need to go get dressed so that I can properly enjoy this royal treatment."

"Of course," she coughed, assessing his unkempt garments, putting her regrets aside and following Adrien's lead of lightening the conversation. "You look like a stray. Only house cats deserve my homemade breakfast."

"Oh?" Adrien smirked, raising his brow again as he pushed off the counter, stopping only inches from Marinette, causing her to back up in order to keep her balance. "Are you dissing my bed hair, m'Lady? I thought you loved it."

Heart pounding wildly, Marinette's ears burned as she simply stood, eyes fluttering as she tried not to be attracted to his all-too-seductive visage. 

"What? You're not even going to bother to deny it?" He wiggled his eyebrows, leaning his face down even closer. "Cat got your tongue or-"

Catching a whiff of Adrien's morning breath, Marinette shook her head, snapping into action. "Get out of here you mangy cat!" She moved her palms to his chest, shoving him backwards. "Brush your teeth and take a quick shower. Like I said, I will  _ not _ feed strays."

Adrien quickly caught his balance, his expression shocked but amused. "Yes ma'am.” He lowered his head, scooting his feet towards the living room. "I guess even an alleycat like me is willing to freshen up in order to sink my teeth into your famous Danish."

"Just get going," Marinette gestured towards the door, looking at the timer on the oven. "You only have about twelve minutes."

"Pff," he raised his head, rolling his eyes as he began walking backwards in order to still face Marinette. "That's not even a challenge."

"Great." Marinette smiled. 

Geez, why did she find his actions so adorable?

"Then you'll have no problem waking up Plagg and Tikki on your way. I made them their own, special Danishes."

"No prob." He saluted, managing to catch his heel on the threshold, causing him to stagger slightly backwards. 

Marinette batted her lashes in utter astonishment. 

"I meant to do that!" He bowed in his final rebalancing step. "Just wanted to make my exit dramatic."

She raised her hand to her mouth, trying to stop the laughter from coming out as Adrien straightened back up, offering her the most genuine, Chatlike grin she had ever seen on him.

Seriously, how had she ever deemed this dweeb of a boy as perfect? 

His smile softened, making that strange, nearly suffocating tingling sensation return once again throughout her entire body.

No. 

She shouldn't think of it like that. Just because he wasn't what her stupid, one-tracked mind had imagined, didn't mean that this man in front of her wasn't perfection. 

Sure, he had awful puns and stinkier morning breath than she could have ever imagined, but even with those flaws (were they even flaws?), Adrien was her future husband. A man who was sweet, silly, a bit clumsy at times, and terrible at baking. 

Yes. 

This Adrien was real. He was filled with pain, a past, but beautiful happiness. This was how a relationship, a husband was supposed to be. 

This, no  _ he _ , was perfect.

He wasn’t like some sort of man-made diamond like his father had wanted him to be - like Marinette had originally expected. While essentially flawless and full of beauty, being exceptionally worthless. No, Adrien was the real thing. Stunning and exquisite, but when looked at close enough, covered in the all-too-important inclusions and blemishes that makes the stone a true diamond.

Marinette grinned, thinking how fitting it was that men proposed with diamonds - a physical representation of the man, himself being given to his woman.

Yes. Adrien was Marinette’s diamond.

“See you in a few minutes,” he waved, intensifying the tingling, no, burning sensation racing through Marinette as he turned on his heels and headed towards the stairs.

She took in a breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Yup," she barely managed to squeak out as he disappeared up the stairs. 

Marinette inhaled again, letting out a long, audible breath. She didn't know how much longer she could handle this. She'd been with him for what? Two minutes? And she was already falling to pieces. 

How on earth was she going to get through breakfast?

Breakfast. 

Right. 

_ Focus Marinette! _

One thing at a time. First she needed to finish that glaze. 

Turning back towards the counter, Marinette glanced towards the timer. 

Eleven minutes. 

Only one minute had passed since she had told Adrien to hurry. At this rate of time passing, she wouldn't be surprised if he could complete an entire marathon before that stupid timer went off. 

She shook her head, walking back towards the counter, picking up the bowl to finish whipping the glaze. 

As she finished stirring, the electric, uncomfortable tingle once again jolted through her insides. 

She was one step closer to seeing Adrien.

"Stop it. Stop it!" She stomped her foot, placing the bowl on the counter and ruffling her hair again with both of her hands.  _ Focus! _

"Stop what?" Tikki's familiar voice chirruped behind her. 

"Mmm! Camembert Danish…” Plagg dreamily sung, floating into Marinette’s vision on his way towards the oven.

Marinette glanced back at Tikki, shaking her head, signaling that she would not answer that question. Hurriedly turning her attention back to Plagg, she clutched his tail, stopping him from dream-flying right into the oven. “Hold your horses,” she sweetly spoke. “You have to wait until it’s finished.”

Dragging the dazed cat loftily through the air, Marinette snickered to herself. 

_ Geez these cats are so impatient! _

“Would you like some help setting the table?” Tikki asked as Marinette plopped Plagg onto the tabletop, motioning for him to stay put by pointing her first two fingers towards her eyes and then flipping her hand and pointing her index finger towards him.

Marinette swiftly turned towards Tikki, smiling. “That would be great!”

After detailing Tikki on the layout of the kitchen and instructing her on what to set, Marinette placed her focus on tidying up her mess - a task not nearly as daunting as one might think, because she had always been conscientious of keeping things clean throughout her entire baking process.

“How was your evening with Plagg?” Tikki giggled, placing two small plates on the table, clearly for herself and the aforementioned cat who still sat, hypnotically staring towards the oven.

Marinette wiped the counter with a rag, tilting her head as she responded, “Surprisingly quiet. After flying out of the room like he was told, he pretty much kept his distance, and when he was around, he didn’t really say much.”

“Hmm,” Tikki hummed, flying towards the cabinet to grab some glasses. “He was probably embarrassed.” She flitted to the table, setting the glasses down carefully. “And moping.”

Images of Plagg’s somewhat saddened face from the night before flashed through her mind.

“I guess,” Marinette shrugged, returning the rag to the sink. “I get why he may have felt uncomfortable, but why would he have been sulking?”

She headed to the refrigerator, opening it and pulling out a bundle of grapes. 

“It seems silly doesn’t it?” Tikki flitted to the utensil drawer, picking out what she needed. “But if there is one thing I know about Plagg, it’s that he is extremely possessive.”

Marinette returned to the sink, turning on the water to rinse the grapes as she pondered that statement, thinking back to a plethora of Chat Noir’s, no Adrien’s actions. Hadn’t the akuma, Copycat, been caused because of his jealousy between Chat and Ladybug’s relationship. She always had wondered what exactly Chat must have said to him to make him flip out like that. Marinette had always suspected that Chat may have bended the truth a bit in order to make that man think they were in an actual relationship. Had Chat really felt threatened enough that he would have to do something like that?

But now, she had to wonder if those actions had been influenced not only by Adrien’s feelings, but by Plagg’s nature as well.

“I know what you're thinking,” Tikki’s small voice danced across the room as she gently placed the silverware in their proper position on the table. “Yes. All black cats have that somewhat safeguarding attribute. When they are transformed, this covetous characteristic becomes magnified with Plagg’s influence.”

Marinette blew a stray hair from her face, breaking the grapevine in half as she headed towards the tiny, round table. 

“But it’s nothing you should be worried about,” Tikki continued, placing the final fork and gazing up, looking into Marinette’s eyes. “While they may be a little reluctant to share the one they love with anyone else, they are inordinately loyal and will stop at nothing to protect the ones in which they have grown attached.”

Tikki grinned, glancing back towards the black Kwami who was still entranced by the delicious smell. “Besides, I find it kind of cute when Plagg pouts.”

Marinette gently plated the grapes, enjoying the heat from the sun shining through the floor to ceiling windows right next to the table.

She paused, looking out into the rose garden, her eyes becoming transfixed on three bees weaving back and forth from flower to flower in some seemingly choreographed motion. “My question, however,” Marinette folded her arms, following the bees’ dance, “is do you think Plagg was jealous over  _ you _ or Adrien?”

“Yes!” Tikki giggled, flitting away, towards the refrigerator, returning a few moments later with the milk jug. “Should I go ahead and fill the glasses, or pour this into a pitcher?”

The bees flew out of sight, causing Marinette to break her connection with the outside. She turned back towards Tikki. “I think a pitcher is a good idea. Let me go find a nice one.”

She returned to the island, opening one of the drawers she hadn’t peeked into as of yet, her mind not able to move on from what Tikki had said. All black cats have that same, sheltering personality. If that was the case, then was there something about herself that made her like all other Ladybugs? Some kind of trait that made her similar to Tikki?

She peeked through the drawer, finding nothing but oversized water bottles, and deciding to move on to the next one. As she opened the new drawer, she tried to think about how she and Tikki were alike, but nothing came to mind. Tikki was an early riser, always knew exactly what to say, and completed everything with confidence. None of those attribute’s could describe Marinette’s clumsy personality. So what was it?

“Tikki, can I ask you a question?” Marinette started, locating a beautiful floral, ceramic pitcher inside the drawer she had just opened.

“Sure,” the kwami responded from behind Marinette’s shoulder. “Oh how pretty!”

Tikki lifted the pitcher from the drawer, carrying it over to the table.

Marinette stared after her. “Is there some kind of characteristic that you and I share, like Plagg and Adrien?”

Tikki sat the pitcher down, flying back towards Marinette, landing on the hand that Marinette had reflexively reached out for her. “Of course there is! Adrien and Plagg don’t just share that one thing. That is just one attribute out of the many! Why do you think it was so weird when Plagg’s personality influenced you as you were the black cat? It just didn’t fit. With Adrien, Plagg’s idiosyncrasies enhance his own. They are traits that are already there, so they are much more natural.”

“So…” Marinette tried to to butt in.

“So!” Tikki went on. “It’s the same for you and me. There’s nothing about who you are as Ladybug that appears just because of the suit. I just help accentuate what is already there!”

“And what exactly is that?” Marinette tilted her head. 

_ Beep, beep, beep! _

“My Camembert is ready!” Plagg rushed into Marinette’s face, nearly giving her a heart attack. “Get it out! Get it out, now!”

“Please?” Tikki motioned at him and then towards Marinette.

“That’s okay,” Marinette responded, walking towards the oven and turning the timer off. “He’s just excited. I know someone else who can be a bit eager at times.”

She opened the door, waves of rolling heat leaving a trail of moisture on her face and stuck within her eyebrows. Grabbing a potholder from a nearby drawer, Marinette hurriedly retrieved the tray, setting it atop the stove. 

“My Camembert!” Plagg dashed towards the pastries. But Marinette was faster, catching him by the tail just as she did earlier and dragging him back to the table.

“Keep your paws off for just a few more minutes,” she smiled, picturing Adrien acting the same way if he were down here. “I need to add the glaze and let it cool down a little so it doesn’t burn your mouth.”

“Fine,” he crossed his arms, frowning.

“Good.” She returned to the island, grabbing the bowl with the glaze, scooping out some with the spoon, holding it over a single pastry, slowly letting it drip into a beautifully striped pattern.

“This is always my favorite part!” Tikki sung, setting herself on Marinette’s shoulder. “Can I help?”

“Sure,” Marinette grinned towards the Kwami. “I can’t wait to see what designs you come up with this time.”

Working as a team, the duo completed their task surprisingly quickly. Partly because neither of them talked - their intricate designs monopolizing all of their focus.

Carrying the tray to the table, Marinette carefully dished the Danishes onto their respective plates as Tikki poured the milk into the pitcher and returned the jug to the fridge. Marinette deposited the empty tray into the dishwasher- along with the bowl and spoons used for the glaze- grabbing one leftover passion fruit, cutting it in half and adding the two pieces to her and Adrien’s plates.

Finally finished, she stepped back, taking in a deep breath, proud of her simple, yet adorable presentation. The small, round, maple table sat perfectly in the corner of the kitchen, placed directly in the center of four, large floor to ceiling windows. The mid-morning sun shown like a spotlight on the table, yet was somehow positioned to where it wouldn’t be shining in their eyes. Two large plates were placed opposite of each other while Plagg’s was right by the window, and Tikki’s sat opposite of his. Each Danish had its own design- one with stripes, another with flowers, and two more with ladybug and cat designs. There were many more Danishes placed in a basket in the middle of the table - all with their own flair and inspiration. Marinette couldn’t blame Plagg for feeling anxious; apart from the Camembert, the kitchen was filled with a rich, nearly heavenly scent of freshly baked pastries.

“This looks amazing.”

The, now familiar, electric tingle surged through Marinette’s body at hearing the unexpected voice suddenly behind her.

Crap!

She stood, frozen- not even willing to turn in his direction.

Had she really forgotten Adrien was going to come back down?

He peeped around her, leaning and balancing on one foot as he waved. “Are you going to invite me to sit down?”

Marinette blinked, remembering, quite against her will, the longing, almost lustful look on his face as he had reached out, trying to catch her the night before.

Her heart faltered as the much needed oxygen seemingly refused to enter her lungs.

No! 

She had to calm herself down. She had to push that out of her mind- to picture Adrien just as she had before. Things had been going so well. Things had been so  _ normal _ . She couldn’t mess everything up now.

“Yes.” She nodded, swallowing way too loudly, finding his wet, freshly washed hair way too adorable. “Let’s sit.”

She gestured towards Adrien’s chair as she walked towards her own. 

But he didn’t go in the direction she had pointed, instead cutting in front of her to pull out her chair, the aroma of the shampoo she had used the day before hitting her in his wake, causing her to reflexively inhale, raising her shoulders in delight. The sudden urge to play with his hair, scratching his head to his heart’s content was almost overwhelming. 

“My Lady,” he grinned, motioning for her to sit down.

She hastily obliged, sliding into her seat, slightly alarmed when he pushed her closer to the table. "Thanks," her voice cracked as he headed over to his chair. 

"There's no need to thank me," he purred. "You're the one who cooked these fantastic looking Danishes."

"Which apparently you are already well acquainted with the taste of."

Adrien shrugged his shoulders, picking up the pitcher and pouring himself a glass of milk. "Doesn't change the fact that I love them."

"Can we stop talking about how good the food is going to taste and just eat now?" Plagg whined, holding his Camembert Danish a mere inch from his mouth. 

"Yes, you can go ahead and eat it," Marinette said, nodding. “Tikki, yours has chocolate chips inside.” She smiled, reaching for the specially made Danish and placing it on Tikki’s plate. “There’s a few extra if you want more after you finish that one.”

“Thank you Marinette!” Tikki scooped the pastry from the plate, hastily taking her first bite.

“Well, they’re excited,” Marinette giggled as she watched Plagg dive for his second Danish.

“Mhm,” Adrien agreed.

Marinette turned towards him just in time to see him shovel in his final bite, pastry flakes littering the edges of his mouth, as he bounced up and down, quietly moaning in delight as he chewed.

_ So cute! _

Her smile widened, watching him perform his happy dance, mentally telling herself to add the fact that Adrien was a super huge foodie to her “Things-she-somehow-didn’t-notice-about-Adrien” list (a list that she literally just named but was already extremely full).

Adrien finally swallowed his bite, washing the final crumbs down with a big gulp of his milk. Wiping the wetness from his lip with his arm, he stared towards Marinette. “What? Why do you keep smiling at me like that?”

Marinette shook her head, turning her focus to the platter in the middle of the table, realizing how strange it was that she had just been watching him eat his food. “Oh, no reason.” She grabbed a pastry, lifting it towards her mouth. “I was just  _ impurressed _ with how _ clawsomely _ fast you garbled down that Danish. You looked like you were  _ pawsitively _ enjoying it.”

She took a bite, the delicate mix of sweet, savory, and sour flavors exploding in her mouth. Only having tasted each ingredient separately, Marinette was not prepared for the absolutely perfectly cohesive result. It was as if these flavors were made to be together. As if they had been placed on the earth simply to one day be brought together in this one euphoric dish. No wonder these were Adrien’s favorite and had elicited such a happy response from him.

“Did  _ you _ just use  _ three _ cat puns in a row?”

Marinette tore her focus from the delectable morsel in her hand, glancing back towards Adrien who sat with his arms crossed and his right brow raised.

She swallowed her bite. “You heard me. Why do you need to ask?”

“I’m just so shocked!” He gasped, raising his hand to his forehead, pretending to feel faint. “What happened to that last pun of yours being a once time phenomenon?”

“I changed my mind.” She took another bite of her Danish and then set it back down on her plate.

“Oh, really?” He lowered his hand, waggling his eyebrow. “And why did you do that? I thought you would at least wait until you returned to your own time.”

Marinette chewed, the new flavors dancing on top of her tongue as she tried to figure out why those ridiculous puns had even come from her mouth. Weren’t they stupid? Hadn’t she always thought they were a waste of time? 

So why had she said them? Honestly, she hadn’t even thought of them ahead of time. They just sort of came out.

She leaned forward, picking up the pitcher and pouring herself a glass of milk. This was the second time she had unwittingly uttered one of those dastardly phrases. And this time she had said three of them! Why was she suddenly being so lame?

Marinette lifted her glass, washing down what was left of her pastry with the satisfyingly cold milk. 

She set her cup down, finally responding, “I don’t honestly know.”

“Hmm,” Adrien lifted his hand to his chin, holding his thumb on one side and his index finger on the other. “ _ Meowbe _ since you have finally fallen for the cat, my sense of humor has taken root as well.”

“As if!” She crossed her arms, trying to stop the heat from rising to her cheeks, knowing that Adrien was probably right. Whatever the case, she needed to end this conversation and she needed to end it now!

Of course! She knew the perfect topic to create a change of discussion. No matter how grim, it was certainly something they needed to talk about.

“By the way, who do you think this new Monarch person is anyway?” Marinette asked, the bright sunlight suddenly fading, seemingly sensing the abrupt mood change.

Adrien sighed, casually accepting the brisk change of topic. “I’m not sure. I haven’t really had time to think about it.”

“Yea,” Marinette agreed. “Do you think she really knew Hawkmoth’s identity?”

“It makes sense. How else would she know where to find it after he just tossed it out?”

“About that,” Marinette poked at her partially eaten pastry. “Do you think he actually did that? Why now? It just doesn’t match up with his previous behavior.”

“I know.” Adrien grabbed another Danish from the platter. “I have so many questions. How did she know who he was? Did she secretly figure it out, or did he tell her? And if he really did just throw his miraculous away, what would cause him to do that all of the sudden? After all of these years, did he finally get what he wanted?”

“I doubt that,” Tikki pointedly stated, finally joining in on the conversation. “Usually the things people want from the cat and ladybug miraculous are not so easily acquired.”

A wave of silence washed over the group, and Marinette took that opportunity, shoving the last bite of her Danish into her mouth. Tikki was right. There was no way Hawkmoth’s dream had been fulfilled. He had been too determined - too desperate for it to just end like this. Something else must have happened. Did he have a family? Did something happen with them?

“Regardless the cause,” Marinette began, swallowing her mouthful and taking a long sip of milk before continuing. "I don't think we will ever know what happened. Not unless Hawkmoth miraculously just decides to waltz on in here and tell us himself."

“Yea, right.” Adrien tapped his chin with his index finger. “Since that’s never going to happen, I think we should just put our focus on finding Monarch.”

“Do you think that’s the right choice?” Marinette eyed the platter, catching a glimpse of a comatose Plagg sleeping on his plate. “I mean this just feels so empty, so sudden, and wrong.” She looked back at Adrien, now leaning back in his chair somehow with his latest pastry already finished and munching on the raw passion fruit. “Is it really okay to move on without some kind of closure? Are we really just going to let him get away with everything he did? We didn’t win, Adrien. What about justice?”

Adrien sighed, his shoulders relaxing as he shifted his focus to the table. “There’s not much of a choice right now.” He raised his eyes, looking into hers with a newfound seriousness. Straightening his posture, he lowered his arms, placing the now finished fruit back on his plate and resting his elbows on the table. “We still don’t even know if this isn’t all just a rouse - a distraction to get us off of his trail. But either way, it’s something you should stop worrying about. This is a problem that my wife and I will handle.”

The electric wave rushed through her body once again, spreading from her core and swiftly escaping through her ligaments, leaving a tingling, almost numb throbbing sensation in her feet and her fingers. What with all the breakfast making, the freaking out about Adrien (which hadn’t turned out to be nearly as bad as she had expected), and all the talk of Monarch and Hawkmoth, she had totally forgotten that today was the day she was going to meet her future self.

“It’s going to be okay,” Adrien reached his arm across the table, placing his hand atop of the one she had resting on the surface, squeezing it in cute, sweet reassurance. “We will figure it out. All you have to focus on is trying to stop Hawkmoth in your own time. Don’t back down just because you know we haven’t caught him yet. I promise I won’t give up. You and I will eventually find him!”

Marinette couldn’t help but smile. She hadn’t doubted him one bit. In fact, it was quite adorable that he had accidentally interpreted her odd reaction as her being nervous about the villains. “You’re right. Thanks, Adrien.” She shrugged, realizing everyone at the table had long since finished eating besides her. Popping the few grapes from her plate into her mouth, she stood, gathering her own dishes and taking them to the sink.

“You don’t have to clean up,” Adrien said, suddenly coming up behind her and placing his own dishes in the sink. “You're the baker. It's my job to clean up after you did all the baking.”

“Is that right?” Marinette elbowed him in the side. “I think I could get used to that kind of arrangement.”

“Oh you will,” he bumped her side with his entire body. “And you will take full advantage of it everytime.”

“Of course!” Marinette laughed, shoving into him even harder, causing him to have to take a step in the other direction to keep his balance. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Adrien jerked his head towards her, fire in his eyes. He stepped closer, then as if changing his mind, headed to the table instead. Marinette let out a deep breath, relieved for the sudden space between them. What was she thinking, always egging him on like this? Where did this sudden flirtatious side even come from? Was this really how she was going to always act around him in the future? Maybe the way she acted with Chat Noir's miraculous wasn't so different from her true nature after all. Maybe it actually pulled something from inside her that she had never noticed, or had the opportunity to bring from within herself. Honestly, when she truly thought about it, this behavior started way before she wore that ring. No, to say her conduct was Plagg’s fault wasn’t right at all.

She scooted away from the sink, leaning against the counter next to it, wondering how bad she would get as the years went on. 

“What’s she like?” Marinette abruptly asked, unable to stem her curiosity.

Adrien grabbed the pitcher and the platter from the center of the table, facing her as he walked back to the sink. “What's who like?” He scrunched his brows. 

Marinette crossed one of her arms, tightly squeezing her other elbow, batting her eyes, nervously looking anywhere besides right at Adrien. "Oh you know," she nervously chuckled. "Your wife."

Marinette cringed, glancing towards Adrien as his eyebrows softened, upturning, rather, into his signature, single arched brow as he stopped only inches from where she stood. That sounded much more stupid than she had anticipated.

“Well, she’s just like you.” He winked, gently placing the dishes into the sink. “Just a little older, a little wiser, “he crossed his arms and legs, leaning his hip against the counter in front of the sink, directly facing Marinette, “and a little bit more mischievous.”

Light burst in through the windows, giving Marinette a much needed excuse to look away from Adrien as feverish heat raced through her body, painting her cheeks and burning her ears. That was  _ exactly  _ what she had been afraid to hear. 

(Omitted content)

Marinette fluttered her eyes as the outside world came back into focus. At some point during her freak-out session, Adrien had resumed his job of cleaning. The table was completely clear now, and Tikki had somehow managed to get Plagg to wake up at least long enough for both of them to leave the kitchen. She must have been dazed much longer than she had expected.

As if only now regaining all of her senses, the familiar sound of dishes being loaded into the dishwasher suddenly became coherent. She pushed off the counter, clasping her arms behind her back, stretching her shoulders as she turned to face Adrien. 

_ Strange.  _ She thought, taking a step forward.  _ He’s also being very quiet. _

Maybe he had become just as lost in thought as she had been. Marinette smiled, wishing she knew what he was thinking. Was he nervous to see his wife again? To see the two of them together in the same house?

Another tingling wave of nervousness swept from her head to her toes.

Yep. This was definitely a situation to be anxious about.

“When is she coming?” Marinette barely managed to squeak, causing Adrien to quickly straighten from his hunched position over the lower rack of the dishwasher, whipping his entire body in her direction, startled, as if he had forgotten she was still in the room with him. 

His cheeks clearly reddenned as he lifted his hand, scratching the back of his neck in typical, uncomfortable Adrien fashion.

“Um… it’s not a long flight. I’m supposed to pick her up from the airport at ten.” He glanced through the kitchen, into the living room where the analogue clock was hanging. “Oh crap.” He took a large step forward, easily closing the gap between them. “I’ve got to go.”

Adrien swiftly bent his head towards her, tilting it slightly, causing her breath to hitch as she stood, unable to back away, knowing, without a doubt he was about to give her a habitual husband and wife goodbye kiss. 

She stiffened, readying herself for the inevitable when Adrien abruptly paused, his lips a mere inch from hers, his warm, exhilarating breath tickling her skin. Her heart faltered as time itself seemed to stop, allowing her to absorb everything within this moment. Adrien’s intoxicating smell that somehow infiltrated her nose even though she wasn’t breathing. The warmth of his lips, reaching out to hers besides the fact that they weren’t even touching. One more inch. One more inch and she would be kissing Adrien. All it would take was one small movement - one extemporaneous decision.

Suddenly, Adrien lifted his head, cupping his hands on the lower sides of her face and pulling her forward, kissing her on her forehead. But as quickly as the kiss began, it ended, leaving Marinette feeling a strange mixture of comfort and emptiness as Adrien pulled away from her. 

He smiled, dropping his hands. “I’ll be back soon.” He turned, walking away from her.

Finally remembering to breathe, Marinette tried to regain some sort of rhythm as Adrien stepped passed the threshold, just a step into the living room, reaching for the keys hanging on a rack of hooks next to the door leading to the garage. Just before he was about to turn the knob, he froze, turning his attention back towards Marinette.

“There’s something I forgot to tell you.”

Her heart sank, a lump forming in the back of her throat at the cryptic tone in his voice. Whatever he was about to say, she had the feeling she would rather not know it.

“I’m sure there’s lots of things you haven’t told me,” she boldly responded, forcing a smile on her face. “Don’t worry about it. You can tell me later.”  _ Or not at all _ . She mentally added, not quite sure why she was so adverse to hearing about this little bit of information.

Adrien hummed, twisting the handle and opening the door. “Well, just try not to act too surprised when you see yourself.” He smirked, saluting once again as he walked through the door, nonchalantly closing it behind him.

Before Marinette could even react, Plagg zipped through the living room, screaming something about Adrien leaving without him before he vanished through the door.

She blinked slowly, trying to process the absolute ridiculousness she had just witnessed. Adrien and Plagg's partnership was nothing like hers and Tikki's. Heck! Pretty much everything about Adrien was different than she had expected. 

And just what exactly did he mean by that final statement?!

Ugh! 

Maybe she should have just let him explain himself. Now she would be worrying about and trying to figure out what he could mean the entire time he was gone!

What?

Had she somehow dramatically changed in appearance? According to all of the pictures in the house, she really did not look all that different.

Marinette grumbled in frustration, closing the dishwasher that Adrien had neglected when he rushed out of the house and hit the start button.

"Are you okay?" Tikki's voice rung from the other side of the kitchen.

Marinette exhaled loudly. “What do _you_ think, Tikki? I’m about to meet _myself!_ _Me_! I’m about to meet the “ _me”_ from eight years in the future! You know, the version of myself who is married and done all sorts of married things?” She stomped passed Tikki, her hands flailing exasperatedly as she headed towards the stairs. “Sure, I’m all unicorns and rainbows. 'Okay' is my middle name. I mean - why on earth would I be thinking about Adrien’s final cryptic warning?! I’m just dandy!”

“Good,” Tikki sarcastically responded, following Marinette up the stairs. “I’m glad to know you're not freaking out or anything.” 

“Nope.” Marinette dryly retorted, skipping the final step to the top of the landing. 

“Where are you going anway?” Tikki asked, still hot on Marinette’s trail.

Marinette opened the door to the master bedroom, heading straight for the walk-in closet. “I need to find something cute to wear.”  _ And to distract myself. _

“What’s wrong with what you are wearing?” Tikki asked, flitting in front of Marinette, her paw on her chin as she looked Marinette up and down.

In truth, there was nothing wrong with the pink leggings, and oversized, cream sweater Marinette was currently wearing, but she couldn’t let Tikki know that. Besides, she had been baking in this outfit all morning. 

“I really would just like to freshen up a bit.” She falsely smiled, beginning to rummage through the nicer looking clothing hanging at the front of the closet. She had been avoiding that section before, opting to rather go for the comfier looking clothing in the back and in the drawers instead. “Besides, one should always strive to make a good first impression.”

“On yourself?” Tikki squeaked, positioning herself on Marinette’s shoulder. “Don’t you think you are overthinking things?”

Marinette scooted the hangers, carefully analyzing each article of clothing. 

“Probably...” Marinette slowly responded, drawing out the ending of the word. “Tikki, do these clothes look strange to you?”

Tikki leaned forward. “I’m not sure. I wasn’t really paying attention. What’s wrong with them?”

Marinette quietly responded, “I don’t know. It’s just,” she shuffled through the clothing even quicker, “all of the shirts and dresses are pretty flowy, and every single pair of pants are stretchy. I would think that my nice clothing would have much more variety.”

Tikki yawned, clearly not having fully recuperated from the prior evening’s late return. “Who knows? Fashion standards are always changing.”

“True.” Marinette had to admit Tikki had a point. “But this doesn’t seem like a fashion trend. This seems more like…”

She paused, trying to string together her sporadic thoughts. 

Loose fitting clothing. No real variety. Not a single pair of pants with a zipper or a button. 

This just didn’t make sense. None of this seemed like a style choice that would be found in  _ her _ closet.

Not unless-

_ “Well, just try not to act too surprised when you see yourself.” _

Adrien’s final words exploded in her mind.

“No,” she nearly whispered.

“Oh, no.” Marinette clutched a floral, flowy sundress in her hand.

“Tikki,” she said without emotion, staring blankly at the clothing in front of her, “you don’t think I could be…”

_ DING, DONG _ ! The doorbell blasted.

As if being woken from a trance, Marinette dropped the fabric from between her fingers, plucking Tikki from her shoulders and holding her in the palm of her hands.

“Tikki, I need you to go see who it is.” Marinette’s heart began racing. “I can’t answer the door looking like this!” Her voice was now frantic. “Especially if I’m still supposed to be on a plane returning from Milan, and especially if I’m supposed to be - to be…”

“It’s going to be okay,” Tikki softly spoke, flying towards Marinette’s cheek and rubbing her face against it. “I’ll sneak down and see who it is. Try to calm down and focus on finding something from another part of the closet and getting dressed. I’ll let you know if it’s someone I think we can let in.”

Marinette nodded her head, suddenly finding it hard to catch her breath, as Tikki fluttered away from the closet. Honestly, Marinette wasn’t sure why she was reacting like this. It wasn’t as if she had to reveal herself. All she had to do was to stay upstairs. Whoever it was would leave soon enough as long as no one was home. Why was she freaking out?

But it was as if the weight of the world pressed upon her shoulders within that single sound. An ominous feeling pulsed throughout her body as if this single moment, this single instance were enough to turn her entire existence upside down. 

It was irrational and completely stupid to be suddenly envoloped in this newfound suffocation - this creeping fear. Yet Marinette was useless to stop it as her chest continued to tighten and the lack of oxygen began to make her feel lightheaded. 

Whoever was at the door couldn’t just be some simple, innocent salesman. No. Whoever it was - this person must be important.

Marinette somehow gained control of her numbing limbs just long enough for her to carry herself to her chaise so she could sit down. She tried to calm her erratic breathing, to take in a few, satisfying deep breaths, but it was as if she simply couldn’t - the more she tried, the more the room began to spin.

“Marinette,” she was somewhat aware of Tikki’s voice coming closer to her. “You need to stay up here.” Marinette leaned back against the pillow, closing her eyes. 

“It’s - it’s Gabriel Agreste.”


	18. The Visitor

_Weird._

That was the only word Adrien could think to describe it. Marinette was acting just plain weird.

It hadn’t taken long for him to notice her strange behavior at the airport. She had been too bubbly - not to say that Marinette wasn’t usually a happy person, but the amount of joy she was exuding just seemed like it was too much to be honest.

Shouldn’t she have been complaining about how sore she was, being forced to sit in the same position for so long? For the past few weeks, she could barely even handle car rides that lasted for more than a few minutes, let alone an hour and a half long plane ride.

He had tried to ignore it- to put it off as her simply being happy to see him, or even over-anxious at coming face-to-face with her younger self. Heck! How would _he_ even react if he were about to walk into the same situation? Meeting the younger version of yourself is certainly nothing to scoff about. There would be no way he would be able to act normal at all.

But the more he tried to avert his attention from her strange behavior, the more glaring it seemed to point itself out. 

Seriously, had Marinette always been such a blabbermouth? She hadn’t stopped talking since they had gotten in the car. 

And never once did she talk about herself or her trip to Milan.

No, the entire time she had been focused on Adrien- offering promises to provide him with anything he could ever want. It was cute, but he couldn’t help but wonder about her motivations. Was she simply just trying to make up to him for how insensitively she had treated him? That was a plausible explanation, Adrien had to admit, but something about that answer just didn’t seem to fit.

“What's going on with you?" Adrien finally spurted out. 

“Nothing’s going on,” she pouted, crossing her arms and looking out her window. “I was just trying to make you happy.” She audibly exhaled. “The last few days have been really hard on you.”

 _That’s a massive understatement._ He thought, not believing his struggles, no matter how magnanimous they may have been, were the root cause of her strange behavior.

“I get that,” he turned his focus back to the light, “and I appreciate you caring about me. I really do. But c'mon, what is this really about? You have been acting weird ever since I first saw you at the airport.”

The signal finally turned green, and Adrien gently pressed the gas, butterflies unexpectedly swarming in his stomach in anticipation of her answer. 

From the corner of his eye, Adrien could barely make out Marinette shifting in her seat, pulling in her knees and wrapping her arms around them. 

“I-I just want you to know how much I love you, is all." Marinette nearly whispered.

"I love you too, Mare Bear," he gently responded, loosening his grip on the steering wheel and glancing over to make quick eye contact, knowing this was only the beginning of her explanation. 

"I know," Marinette sighed, resting her head on her knees. "But knowing that, doesn't make this any easier."

Adrien's heart twanged at that statement, like an elastic band suddenly having sprung after being stretched too tight. This sudden change in demeanor - this sadness - it was way more intense than Adrien had expected.

"If it's that hard to talk about," Adrien comfortingly placed his hand on her shoulder, once again making quick eye contact with her before directing his attention back towards the road, "we can wait until when we get home."

"Home is the problem," Marinette mumbled, somehow managing to further sink her head between her knees, making Adrien wish his peripheral vision would stop allowing him to see these things.

He sighed. His earlier guess to her strange behavior must have been correct after all. 

"I can't even _fathom_ what you're going through right now.” He lowered his hand from her shoulder, rubbing little circles on her back. “Heck! Even _I_ was slightly startled at seeing you at the airport after only spending a few days with your younger self. What will I even do when I see you both in the same room?!”

He grinned, peeking towards her again, moving his hand from her back, twirling his fingers in the back of her hair.

“One Marinette drives me crazy enough. But two? What kind of man could even _handle_ that?"

"Pfft," Marinette snickered, unburrowing her head, lifting it just enough to place her cheek on her knees, her gaze aimed directly towards him.

 _Cute!_ A giant smile bloomed across his face as he fought once again to keep his eyes (and his focus) on the traffic ahead. 

She slowly lifted her lids, piercing him with her now, sodden eyes. “There’s something you need to know.”

“Okay.” He rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

“You’re not going to like it.”

The corners of her eyes began to shimmer with the pooling up of liquid.

“I figured.”

Marinette raised her hands to caress his on her cheek before delicately lowering it. Breaking all connection with him, she unbuckled her seatbelt. 

_Wait._

“What are you-”

She opened the door. “I’ll tell you about it on the way home,” Marinette soberly added, hoisting herself out of the car. “But the deal is,” she peeked her head back in, “you have to let me be the one to drive.”

Simply nodding, Adrien undid his seatbelt, quickly glancing for any approaching cars and, seeing a quick break in the heavy traffic, flung his door open.

He sprung from the vehicle, the nearly midday heat enveloping him, causing him to burst into an instant sweat as he darted around the car.

“I would’ve held the door open for you, M’lady,” he bowed, gesturing towards the car, and, secretly, hoping to lighten the tension, “but leaving the door open too long in this traffic would have been _paws_ itively _cat_ astrophic.”

“I think I can manage, silly kitty,” Marinette kindly responded, flicking his nose, her smile soft, yet sad as she passed him to take on the driver’s position.

But Adrien didn’t follow suit, rather standing, frozen, as if that simple, fleeting touch had paralyzed him.

_Marinette._

His heart ached.

Had he ever seen her act this downtrodden? Whatever it was she had to tell him, Adrien wasn’t so sure he was ready to listen.

Her door slammed.

 _Right._ Adrien exhaled, willing himself to move and to actually get into the car. _Better to get this over with._ And by the time he clicked his seatbelt, Marinette was already pulling into traffic.

“I’m just going to come right out with it,” she hurriedly spurted, checking her surroundings. Her voice sounded pained. “I’ve beat around the bush long enough.”

Adrien tensed his shoulders. Was not responding an option? Would she just not say anything if Adrien never even so much as nodded?

A few minutes ago, all he wanted was for her to just be honest. But now, now everything within him was screaming at him to just make her keep quiet.

“Marinette,” his voice quivered. “I don’t think I’m-”

“Your dad is waiting for us at our house,” she blurted.

Adrien’s mouth literally hung open in the ensuing silence, caught on the next syllable she had so effectively interrupted.

“Don’t worry,” she hastily added. “He has no clue that teenager _me_ is there. He’s just waiting outside and-” Marinette must have seen Adrien’s expression, causing her to quit speaking mid sentence. But Adrien couldn’t be sure. Because in that moment, the only thing he could see was _red_ as his mind drifted further and further away from anything surrounding him at present.

Visions of his last encounter with his father swarmed into his head. 

That stern, emotionless face.

His harsh, uncaring words.

It had taken Adrien years to stop dreaming about that wretched moment, and now here it was, back again. All those years suppressing it. Useless.

 _Ugh!_ He mentally shouted, sinking deeper into the darkness. _Why the heck is he lurking at my house?!_

Hadn’t that man made it quite clear that Adrien was as good as dead to him? That was certainly the way Adrien felt about _him_! 

Adrien tried to breathe, but his body was making it harder and harder to absorb the oxygen. It was as if a wave had suddenly washed over, pressing him deeper and deeper into its black, unbreathable depths.

He wanted to stay positive, to not spiral into a full panic and to paddle his way back to the surface, but his body knew. Nothing _good_ ever came from an encounter with that villain!

If it hadn’t been for Marinette’s courage and willingness to stand up to him, where would the two of them be at this moment? Clearly one or both of them would have been akumatized if that man had gotten his way. And Adrien could only shudder at the thought of what kind of damage and destruction an akumatised Ladybug or Chat Noir could have unleashed on Paris. 

Who knows?

Maybe their destruction wouldn’t have simply ended with Paris. The annihilation of the entire world seemed like a more plausible development. Adrien certainly wouldn’t put it past himself if he were left angry, heartbroken, and suddenly a villain.

But would that man have cared? Certainly not. He would have simply been happy that his perfect son hadn’t ended up with such an ordinary civilian.

Bile burned against Adrien’s throat as he tried to not get completely sick to his stomach.

This wasn’t fair.

Every time something new and beautiful came into Adrien’s life, that _man_ had to come and try to ruin it!

Heck! Even their wedding had to be performed in secret for fear of that man trying to sabotage it.

No.

Adrien wouldn’t have it.

Once again, he would have to shut that man down right then and there- to not give him an inkling of a chance to get what he wanted.

He hadn’t faced this man since he was a teenager. But now. _Now_ , Adrien was an adult. 

It would be much easier this time. There was no longer anything that man could take; he no longer had any kind of hold on Adrien.

 _Simple._ Adrien relaxed his breathing, his vision slowly coming back into focus. _I’ve got this._

He fluttered his eyes, his house beckoning him from just around the corner.

 _Perfect timing._ He curled the edges of his lips.

“Adrien,” Marinette placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as she turned into the driveway. “There is something else I have to tell-”

“It can wait,” he curtly spoke, undoing his seatbelt and opening the door before the car had even stopped. Clearly getting the message, Marinette pressed the brakes, allowing him to hurdle himself from the vehicle.

Instantly regretting snapping at his wife, Adrien’s chest tightened, his head deciding that _right now_ was a good time to start spinning. He rushed up the path parallel to the house. With the rose garden, he couldn’t see the likes of any visitor yet. But he could feel it. That man’s presence wasn’t even a question. 

Adrien took in one final deep breath as he rounded the corner, his entire body buzzing in dreaded anticipation, screaming at him to just turn back - to pretend no one was there and just go on about his normal business.

But it was too late. 

Because there _he_ was, sitting on the small, wooden bench - signifying one of the many entrances to Marinette's rose garden - which just happened to be located halfway between Adrien and the front door of _his_ house. The rose garden was always a cornerstone in Adrien's spirit, a manifestation of his beautiful wife and a warm welcome to their home. But at this moment, it's usual comfort was sullied and darkened by a particularly uncompaniable _guest_ seated at one of the gates. The weather that day might have been immaculate, but to Adrien it didn't matter, for all he could feel was a storm cloud looming over him.

"What are you doing here?" Adrien snarled, quickly closing the distance between them.

The unwanted visitor stood, his hands clasped firmly behind his back, causing Adrien to shudder at the familiar, icy disposition. 

The man, if Adrien could even call him that, frowned. "It seems that there is much we need to talk about."

"I have nothing to say to you," Adrien cooly spoke, his back straight, shoulders poised. "You have _lost_ all talking privileges. If you wanted to talk to me, you should have listened years ago."

"I'm fairly certain that the one who lost all privileges was _you_ , Adrien. But I digress. I'm not here to speak about such petty grievances."

"Petty grievances?!" Adrien snapped. “Is that all my life _is_ to you? Just a minor, meaningless annoyance?”

The elder Agreste didn’t respond, simply standing, staring down at Adrien with that conceited, egotistical expression. 

“You know what, Gabriel” Adrien sneered. "Just go ahead and get off my property. You are not wel-"

"Adrien." Marinette firmly spoke, squeezing his shoulder, effectively communicating her displeasure at Adrien’s unfinished statement.

 _Fine._ He exhaled.

If she wanted him to play nice, he could oblige. 

At least for a moment…

“Hello, Gabriel,” she said, kindly, squeezing her hand on his shoulder even tighter.

“Marinette.” He nodded seriously, a gust of wind sweeping through the rose garden, blowing hundreds of petals between them.

_Wait._

An uncomfortable tingle shot through Adrien’s body as he turned towards Marinette.

Normally Adrien would have been swooning at the sight of roses literally dancing, perfectly framing his wife. Wasn’t such a scene supposed to be the epitome of what one would dub as romantic?

But-

Not now.

Seriously. Since when had _she_ and _that man_ been on a first name basis?

“You're much further along than I expected," the man nonchalantly added, causing Adrien to grit his teeth at such a brazen, unwelcome statement.

He watched Marinette’s face. But the fact this man knew their secret didn’t seem to phase her in the slightest.

It must have been _nice_ for her knowing this was all going to happen.

He jerked his head back towards their _guest_ . "How did you know she was pregnant?” He seethed, completely forgetting his earlier resolve towards kindness. “ _You_ , of all people, should not be privy to such information!"

At some point during the last few moments, the wind had died down and now all the lifeless little petals laid limp on the ground.

Adrien didn’t know if it was fitting or just a pure mockery of their rapidly declining conversation.

"You may not care if your child knows his or her grandfather,” the man harshly rebutted, “but apparently _your wife_ thought it was something I should know about."

Adrien’s stomach lurched, his throat suddenly burning.

 _Clearly a mockery._ He concluded.

He glanced back towards his wife, praying that this information was false. But her apologetic expression said it all- she had actually shared their most personal, beautiful secret with that villain!

Repulsed, he ripped himself away from Marinette’s grasp on his shoulder.

“Y-you told him?!” He gasped, finding it nearly impossible to breathe again as he struggled to keep his balance from his rapid change in position.

"Yes, Adrien,” she calmly responded, capturing, no, grounding him with her eyes. “I think your father deserves to know he is having a grandchild."

Adrien stood tall, taking in a deep breath he so desperately needed.

“I don’t _have_ a father!” he cried out. “And that man over there,” he pointed without looking, “is NOT a grandparent to our child!”

"Adrien…"

"No, Marinette. I don't know why that man is here, but I know it's not because he suddenly cares about us OR our baby! I-I can’t believe you... you would-”

"Adrien!” the man firmly and loudly stated, stepping right between him and Marinette. “Stop this tantrum right now! You are an adult. When are you going to start acting like it?" 

A rush of heat stampeded through his body. Yes, he was an adult. And there was _no way_ he was going to take this.

"Don't you _dare_ use that tone with me, Gabriel,” Adrien cautioned, aiming his anger back towards his intended victim. “Your authority over me has long ended. Come on, Marinette,” he stepped around the intruder, “let's leave this man and go inside."

He swiftly approached Marinette, grabbing her by the elbow to lead her towards the door. _Obviously_ , he needed to speak with her in private.

But she didn’t budge, causing Adrien to stop in his tracks, looking like a complete idiot. Of all times for her to be so stubborn, especially when _she_ had been the cause of all of this.

“Come on,” he goaded, whispering between his teeth, quiet enough to where no one else could have heard him as he tugged on her once again.

"No." Marinette held firm. "I'm the one who called him, so I am going to _at least_ be decent enough to hear him out."

In that moment, everything went silent- as if nature itself was appalled by Marinette’s clear act of disrespect towards her husband.

It was one of those strange moments in life where Adrien hadn’t paid one bit of attention to all those earlier sounds, but he was all-too-keen of their blaring absence. 

"Fine," he snapped, letting go of her arm, her double betrayal piercing him like an arrow straight through the heart. "But I'm _not_ staying here to listen."

He straightened his back, trying to look dignified as he drug himself to the door. His body felt heavy, sluggish even, and if he thought about it too much, he knew he would be nauseous .

Unable to get the key into the keyhole with his trembling hands, he had to rely on Plagg to phase in and get the door open.

Barely making it into the house, Adrien plopped himself on the couch, his head spinning with all his messed up thoughts.

“How could she do this?!” He slammed both of his palms to his forehead, the room spinning, slightly, above him.

Sure, Marinette had once mentioned being interested in telling that man all about their child. But hadn’t Adrien quickly shut her down?

How could she go behind his back like this? Weren’t they a team? To think that the one and only Ladybug would betray him so easily. Had she forgotten what marriage was all about?

He gripped the hair closest to his forehead, nearly pulling it out.

“Kid, you have got to calm down,” Plagg said, dropping onto Adrien’s chest. 

“Oh, so you don’t think I’m an adult now, either?” Adrien growled, tugging even harder on his hair.

“It’s not like that and you know it. I’m thousands of years old, Adrien. To me, everyone is a child.”

Adrien simply moaned, lowering his hands to his side.

“And to answer your earlier question,” Plagg continued, “maybe you should have a little more faith in your wife. She’s never, truly, let you down, right?” He poked Adrien in the chest. “I’m sure she, and Tikki, thought long and hard about the consequences of this decision, and to them, it was worth the price.”

Adrien simply took in a deep breath, closing his eyes.

Why couldn’t this day just have gone like he had earlier envisioned? Everything had started out okay. Breakfast had been so nice, and-

_Wait._

The younger Marinette must have been hiding somewhere in the house - probably upstairs. 

Adrien exhaled.

The way he saw it, he had two plausible choices. He could keep sulking, remaining on the couch until his _wife_ inevitably returned. He shuddered. Or he could retreat to the upstairs, facing the younger, non-betraying, delicious Danish-making Marinette instead. 

Of course, there was always the option of just waltzing out that back door, completely escaping all of this drama and getting his thoughts in order. But the sweet, innocent Marinette he had spent his morning with didn’t deserve such unmerited and well, unexplained treatment.

He sat up. Seventeen year old Marinette had been waiting long enough. 

Besides, maybe he could convince her to change this certain string of events. _Clearly_ , he would have never told her to keep events the same if _this_ had happened. _Something_ must have already messed up this timeline. 

The door slammed open and twenty-five year old Marinette rushed inside.

 _Option one it is_. He sighed, wishing he had moved just a bit faster, not at all ready to face his wife.

She swiftly approached him, kneeling on both knees in front of the couch.

“Adrien,” she gently began, cupping both of his hands within hers. “We have to listen to what Gabriel wants to tell us.”

He narrowed his eyes, his stomach rolling at the reminder of her betrayal. “Not. Interested.”

“Look, I know you're upset,” she moved one of her hands to his cheek, her touch surprisingly comforting him, abruptly causing the room to stop spinning, “but you _really_ need to listen.”

“Why?” A previously unknown tear slipped past his lashes. “Nothing is going to change. I say, we let him forget all about us just like he wanted.”

Marinette wiped the moisture creeping down his cheek away with her thumb, leaning forward, resting her forehead against his own. “Please Adrien, he said he’s here to help us.”

“And you believe him?” Adrien squeezed shut his eyes, a few more tears unwittingly escaping.

Marinette simply nodded, her words unneeded.

“Okay,” he softly whispered. _Plagg was right._

Nomatter how much he’d rather not see that man again, he would be a fool not to trust his wife.

…---...

It had been all of about thirty minutes since Marinette had heard the multiple slammings of car doors right outside, but no matter how curious she was about the ensuing altercation, she couldn’t bring herself to look out the window, or, even now, peek down to figure out what was going on inside. This little, unexpected visit was something the future Marinette should handle. Just knowing this was going to happen, without any of the details, was enough to make her wary and nauseous at the same time.

The front door slammed for the third time, shaking the entire house. Clearly, there had not been a pleasant end to the trio’s conversation.

“He must _ finally _ be gone,” Tikki whispered, barely lifting her head from where she had been resting on Marinette’s shoulder.

Ever since Marinette had learned that Gabriel Agreste had been waiting outside the house, the only thing she had managed to accomplish was to roll over on her side.

“Do you think we should go down to see what’s going on?” Tikki asked.

Marinette gently reached over, cupping her kwami into the palm of her hand as she shifted into laying on her backside. “I don’t know, Tikki.” She stared at the ceiling. “This seems too personal. I think it would be best if I just give them some time.”

“You’re probably right.” Tikki nodded.

“Plagg!” Marinette distinctly heard Adrien yell. “Claws out!”

Marinette shot up, her head feeling somewhat dizzy from standing so quickly.

_ What the heck was going on? _

She darted out of the room, making it to the top of the stairs only fast enough to see a newly transformed Chat Noir scurrying out the front door.

“Tikki!” She heard another voice call from the other side of the living room - just out of Marinette’s vision. “Let’s go! We have to-”

A red blur flashed into and just out of sight.

“Marinette! Please, just give him some space,” Tikki’s familiar voice advised. “It’s too dangerous to follow him right now.”

“But, Tikki!” the other, panicked voice responded. “He  _ needs _ me. Oh god, Tikki. This is worse than I could have ever imagined.”

“No,” Tikki asserted (which was strange because Tikki was clearly floating right next to Marinette at the top of the stairs). “He needs some time to calm down. Just trust him. He’ll come home when he’s ready to be with you. He’s just- he’s overloaded right now.”

“ _ Ugh _ !” The other voice shrieked in tandem with a thumping, most likely foot-stomping sound.

Marinette held her breath, the sudden silence after such an outburst making her afraid that any sound would reveal her not-so-hidden location.

She needed to somehow slip away- to remove herself from this highly emotional, yet confusing, situation.

Silently letting out her pent-up breath, Marinette slowly lifted her foot, ready to take her first-

“You can come down now,” the, now calmer, voice stated. “I know you’re there.”

_ Of course she would. _ Marinette snidely thought, glancing towards Tikki - the kwami nodding in silent support.

“I guess there’s no use in trying to hide from yourself,” Marinette confidently blurted, beginning her moderate pace down the stairs, her heart wildly protesting at her descent. 

As the space opened around her, she could finally see everything. The couch, the television. Heck! She could even see the grand piano sitting, silent, way off in the far corner.

Why she hadn’t asked Adrien to play a song for her yet, was a mystery she didn’t think she would ever be able to answer.

But all of those things, no matter how nice or perfectly decorated, paled in comparison to the person that suddenly obtained one-hundred percent of her attention.

_ Yep.  _ Adrien had been right. 

Because it took everything within her to not just freak out at the woman’s totally different appearance.

“Aww!” Tikki rubbed against her cheek. “You’re going to look so adorable!”

The other Tikki flitted from the woman’s side, hooking paws with her younger self and twirling around. “You’ve got  _ that _ right!”

And no matter how much Marinette usually liked to argue against her companion’s obviously biased opinion, she had nothing to rebut against this time.

It was a fact.

This woman, who was standing so carefully in front of her, staring back at her with those inquisitive eyes, was simply- well, gorgeous. 

Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun (but Marinette could tell it had to be much longer than her current barely past the shoulders length), and her cute, red and black polka dotted summer dress must have been something that Marinette, herself, had sewn. Having just gotten home from the airport, she didn’t have any make-up on. But, DANG, girl. She didn’t even need it! Not with that natural, radiating glow.

And then, of course, there was the most obvious, stomach twisting, but exciting difference.

That adorable, but large, baby bump had to be how many months along now?

“Umm,” Marinette finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, scratching at the back of her head, something she must have picked up from her time with Adrien. “Congratulations?”

The other Marinette ( _ weird _ ) lovingly caressed her bulging midsection. “Thanks.” She tried to smile.

But the slight upturn of her lips, quickly turned upside down.

Recognizing that all-too-familiar pained expression, Marinette rushed to her future self’s side, enfolding her in a deepened embrace just before she began to cry. 

“I’m- I’m so sorry you had to witness this,” she bawled, burying her face into Marinette’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she patted the sobbing woman’s back. “Don’t worry about me. Pretend I’m not here and just cry it all out.”

Marinette carefully guided her older self to the couch, never letting go in the process. She couldn’t even begin to count how many times she had cried into her mother’s shoulder just like this, but she had never expected to have to be the one comforting herself.

Seriously. Had Gabriel confessed to committing some sort of terrible crime? What could he have said to make herself and Adrien experience such an emotional freakout?

_ No. _ She mentally chided herself. She shouldn’t think about or even try to ask about what happened. She would find everything out in her own time.

Nomatter how much that was  _ clearly _ going to hurt her in the process.

Marinette began humming the same tune her mother always sang when she cried. If there was one thing she knew: it was how to properly calm herself.

After what seemed like hours of back rubbing and the repeating pattern of silence leading back into desperate sobs, it was clear to Marinette that her older self had finally calmed down. 

And a few minutes after that revelation, the older Marinette pulled away, wiping at her swollen eyes. 

“Thank you for helping me get through that,” her voice sounded raw. “But it’s time for  _ me _ to be the strong one now. Adrien is going to need me more than he ever has.”

Marinette’s heart clenched at that statement. “It’s weird to think that one day I will be the one saying that,” she softly smiled.

The older Marinette gently grabbed her hands, smiling in return. “Your future is even more beautiful than you could ever imagine.”

“I know.” If this trip had taught her nothing else, she now knew how much love she would one day receive from Adrien. Besides, she couldn’t forget about that not-so-little bun still baking in the oven. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Speaking of your future,” the other Marinette squeezed her hands. “Bunnix will

be here to take you home in a few hours.”

“Bunnix?!?” Marinette ripped her hands from her future self’s grasp, bringing them to her head and clasping her hair. “Why didn’t I think of that? Oh my goodness. Adrien and I are so stupid.”

The older Marinette giggled. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s always our policy to only call on Bunnix in extreme situations. Her powers are dangerous and should only be used with utmost caution. Besides, in your time, you haven’t even given Alix her miraculous yet. It makes sense that you wouldn’t realize she was an option.”

“But what about  _ you _ ?” Marinette pointed her finger at her older self. “Why didn’t  _ you _ call her as soon as you knew I had arrived?”

The older Marinette just shrugged her shoulders. “I guess that is just because I knew that this was how things were supposed to happen. If I had sent you home immediately, I would have messed up the timeline.”

Marinette tilted her head. But she had dealt with Bunnix enough to know that she was a stickler for protecting and ensuring the correct events throughout time. Oddly enough, this strange expedition must have been one of them.

Honestly, it made sense. If she  _ hadn’t  _ been given the opportunity to discover that Chat Noir was actually Adrien, would she have ever ended up with this future life?

She glanced down towards that oh-so-adorable baby bump. 

No. 

She would never do anything that could potentially jeopardize that baby’s existence.

“Would you like to see the nursery?” Her older self asked, obviously noticing Marinette’s change of focus. “I know you have been _ dying _ to find out what was behind that locked door upstairs.”

Marinette looked back into her older self’s eyes as she started to laugh out loud.  _ Of course _ a nursery was what that secret door was trying to hide. Could it have been anything else?

But honestly, Marinette really needed to leave a  _ few  _ things left to surprise. The nursery colors would, more likely than not, tell her more than she wanted to know.

“No thanks.” She shook her head. “I think I can wait another eight years to find out the gender of my first child.”

“I knew you would say that.” The other Marinette laughed as well. 

But her laugh sounded strange, almost hollow as it quickly died down and her smile faded into seriousness. 

She shifted her attention to the front of the house.

“I’m sorry to cut this short,” she sternly added, not even looking at Marinette, “but I think it’s time you start heading back upstairs.”

Knowing better than to refute the judgement of her older self, Marinette quickly obeyed, making light of her feet and scrambling towards the stairs. She wasn’t even halfway up when the door slammed open and a no-longer-transformed Adrien stumbled across the threshold.

One look.

That’s all it took for Adrien to look at his wife and to completely break down. 

_ Oh, Adrien!  _ Marinette’s heart shattered as she watched him crumble in the arms of her future self.

Everything she had once thought she knew about him completely fractured. Because she could see it now- his humanity, his pain, everything she had missed when only seeing that perfect shell of the model boy, Adrien.

_ He was right. _ Marinette finally realized, watching him melt into her other self’s comfort and remembering what he had said during her first day in the future. 

Every day. 

That’s what he had said. That without her he goes back to being that lonely boy who throws temper tantrums on Christmas.

Her heart wrenched, longing desperately to provide that poor, young boy a much-deserved shelter.

Whatever had happened with his father, she guessed. It must have been the culmination of something that had been going on for quite a long time.

She flung her hand to her mouth, trying to stem queasiness that was trying to rise.

Because _her_ Adrien had been facing this for ages. And she had been _too_ _stupid_ to see through his masks and to fulfill her much-needed duty by truly standing by his side.

And as he began to wail, something clicked inside.

_ There it is.  _ She thought.

There’s that pain he had been hiding from her ever since she had arrived. She didn’t even know at what point she had realized it was there, but now here it was, raw and unrefined.

_ No.  _ She turned away, deciding that this was too much, too personal for her to continue to witness. She would be there for him when it was  _ her _ time. But right now, right now she needed to focus on how she would comfort her sweet, seventeen-year-old Adrien when she returned to her own timeline.

She forced herself back up the stairs.

Now all she needed to do was to wait for Bunnix to arrive.


	19. Preparations

“Oh, Marinette,” Tikki said, with clear concern in her voice. “You have got to stop pacing like that.”

Marinette continued walking, taking no heed to her kwami’s futile advice.

“What else am I supposed to do?” She quickened her pace. “They’ve been down there for hours, and I’ve been stuck, dying of the unrelenting nervousness suffocating me in this room!”

She glanced towards the window, the sun’s setting rays piercing through the glass like a bright, mocking reminder that Bunnix would be there soon.

This final day in the future had gone nothing like she had imagined, and honestly, she wasn’t quite ready to give up everything she had gained here in order to go home. Sure, Adrien would be there, waiting for her as soon as she stepped out of that portal, but it wouldn’t be the same Adrien she had recently gotten to know, now would it?

Tikki flitted from her position on the chaise, landing on Marinette’s shoulder and nuzzling against the side of her face. “It’s going to be okay,” she cooed. “You know that, don’t you?”

Marinette paused, leaning her head into Tikki’s touch. “Of course I do, Tikki.” She closed her eyes. “It’s just…”

_ Stupid _ . Marinette couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence. Because that’s all it was. Once again Marinette was freaking out about something completely and utterly stupid.

Tikki nuzzled even closer. “What is it, Marinette? You know you can talk to me, right?”

“Yea, I know,” Marinette lifted her hand, petting the side of her kwami’s head and looking back towards the window. 

But this was something she  _ really _ shouldn’t say out loud.

She was having a hard enough time just thinking about it, let alone putting her irrational fears into a sentence. 

Besides. It wasn’t as if Marinette  _ wanted _ to think this way. 

Her stupid mind just  _ had _ to formulate ideas of how everything could fall apart when she returned to her own time.

She already knew Adrien would become her boyfriend. From an outsider’s perspective (i.e. adult Alya), everything about her and Adrien’s relationship was going to turn out just perfect.

And Marinette had wholeheartedly believed that fact.

At least until now.

Because why wouldn’t her already rattled, nerve-driven thoughts  _ not _ figure out that her naive assumption had one, critical, little flaw?

Yes, shouldn’t it have been obvious? She had only been told the story of her return from other people’s point of view. But the older Marinette had said nothing about her all-too-soon return herself. Granted, she had kind of been crying and thinking about Adrien the entire time they had spent together. But that was besides the point! Because now... now Marinette had no idea what things would truly be like when she was finally face-to face with  _ her _ Adrien.

Would it be as blissful as Alya had described? Or was that all just a load of bollocks?

Marinette didn’t know.

What if everything Alya had described in regards to Marinette’s confident and flirtatious actions was simply for show?

What if… it was all a lie?

Marinette had tried to shake that preposterous thought out of her mind. But as soon as it had taken root, she just couldn’t let it go.

She had  _ tried _ to fall asleep earlier - to keep her messed up thoughts from going any further down that road. But as soon as she had closed her eyes, her brain had already solved the mystery of what could potentially come in the way of her rapidly-approaching, newly-forming relationship with Adrien.

And as crazy as it sounded… it was herself.

Well, to be more exact: her knowledge. 

Yea. That knowledge of the future that she had been so excited about. But what if instead of aiding in her and Adrien’s relationship, it alternatively became a burden?

Like, what if instead of being madly in love with Adrien, she was stuck lamenting, constantly comparing him to the Adrien of the future?

Yup. Her thoughts had gone down _ that _ kind of road of stupid.

_ Ugh! _ She shook her head, trying to ignore Tikki’s face nuzzled against the crook of her neck, breaking her trance from the window to sit down on the edge of the bed. Why couldn’t her wild fantasies (or in this case, nightmares) just leave her the heck alone?!

As if she wasn’t already nervous enough knowing that she was about to reveal herself to Adrien - because what  _ else _ was she supposed to do - there’d be no way she would be able to keep everything she had learned a secret. She’d never been  _ that _ good at telling lies. But why,  _ why  _ had her idiotic brain decided that she needed an extra thing to worry about? Why couldn’t she just accept the happy future that both Adrien and Alya had so beautifully painted? 

Why did she have to think that everything they said was just… well, false? 

That Marinette would somehow end up being miserable, or worse, she would end up letting Adrien down with her diluted and unmerited thoughts?

“Marinette,” Tikki softly added, floating off Marinette’s shoulder and moving in front of her in order to make eye contact - the exact thing that Marinette  _ didn’t _ want right now. “I know something’s bothering you. You always feel better after you’ve had a chance to talk it all out.”

Marinette clenched her jaw, sucking in a deep breath, her shoulders rising with the stiff action. “I don’t think that will work this time, Tikki,” she said, her words barely escaping her tightened mouth. She took in another sharp breath, this time, allowing her lips to pop open. “I’m just being stupid. I know it’s stupid, and I really should just let this slide.”

Because that was the only logical thing to do, wasn’t it? Bringing these thoughts, these words to life would do nothing but fulfill her fears’ ambitions. She should just forget about it. Think about what she would say to Adrien when she returned and just freaking move on with her life. 

Tikki inched closer, delicately brushing Marinette’s cheek with her paw, her eyes looking strangely like Marinette’s mother’s every time her mother was about to give her advice. A sweet grin lit up her face, and Marinette knew - she  _ knew  _ \- Tikki was about to blow all of her safeguards to the side. 

“But it’s not that easy, is it?” Tikki nearly whispered, comfortingly stroking Marinette’s face.

And there it was. The truth Marinette had already accepted. It was going to take a lot more than sheer determination to snuff out these lies.

“No.”

Her response was simple, but there was so much weight poured into that one syllable. Marinette felt almost drained, having expended so much energy, so much of herself to speak that one little admission, that she found herself unwittingly closing her eyes and falling onto the bed, her legs still hanging over the edge.

“Then it’s not stupid.”

Marinette’s lids flew back open.

“Of course it is, Tikki!” These fears were nothing but ridiculous! And nothing Tikki's  _ wisdom _ had to offer was going to change that fact.

“Marinette,” Tikki cooed, softly landing on her chest, “whatever is bugging you has been eating up at you all afternoon. That means that to you, it’s not stupid, and I think it’s something we really need to talk about.”

“No.” Marinette snappily responded.  _ I can’t. _

“Marinette,” Tikki slowly drawled. 

“Tikki,” Marinette sarcastically retorted, batting her eyelashes.  _ Two could play at that game. _

“Fine. I get it.” She crossed her arms (or whatever one would call them). “You don’t want to talk.” She flitted from Marinette’s chest towards the other side of the room, making Marinette roll on her side just to keep the little kwami in her vision. “But if you don’t want to get through this for yourself, then at least think of Adrien.” She tilted her head towards the, now, seemingly all-too-happy Adrien in the picture sitting on the dresser. “He’s the one who is going to be completely freaked out. Does he really deserve whatever  _ this  _ is” Tikki unfolded her arms, gesturing towards Marinette, “on top of everything else he’ll be thinking about?”

_ Of course not!  _ Marinette internally screamed, flinging herself into an upright position.

“Adrien’s what I’ve been thinking about this entire time!” She angrily blurted, no longer able to keep her thoughts hidden as she hopped off the bed, stepping towards her kwami. “Don’t you  _ dare _ say I’m not thinking of Adrien!”

Because this whole, stupid thing was all about him, right?

Adrien, Adrien, Adrien. Marinette couldn’t get him out of her head. Thinking about him was what had gotten her into this idiotic frame of mind. 

No.

It really would have been  _ better _ if she had just  _ not  _ thought about him for a moment, wouldn’t it? 

“Oh?” Tikki raised her brow, inching her way back to Marinette. “If you care so much about him, then talk to me, Marinette! You’re a mess right now!”

“I know I am, Tikki!" She froze, clenching her fists and looking towards the ground.

It wasn’t as if she had wanted to have a complete and utter meltdown before Bunnix arrived. And no matter how badly Marinette just wanted to ignore it, Tikki was right. She would be returning in the middle of an akuma fight. She needed to be focused. And when things finally settled down for her to get a chance to talk to Adrien, she needed to be past this - to be able to face him with her whole heart.

“Ugh!” Marinette stomped her foot, squeezing her fists even tighter. She’d always been the type who needed a friend to vent things over with. Of course this time wouldn’t be an exception. “Please don’t think I’m a terrible person, alright?”

“Never.” Tikki gently raised Marinette’s chin, caringly gazing into her eyes.

Marinette melted into her touch. “I just couldn’t stop worrying about how I’m going to react around an Adrien that’s so different from the one I’ve gotten used to the past few days. See? Stupid. Right?”

“It’s not stupid,” Tikki corrected, her gaze unchanged. 

Unconvinced, Marinette shook her head, tearing herself from Tikki’s grasp as she strode back towards the window. “Look, I know it’s not fair, and that I’ve only been here for three days, but ugh!” She threw her head back, burying her fingers into the roots of her hair. “What if I’m constantly comparing the younger Adrien with his future self?”

“Marinette, I said that it’s not...”

“I know it’s dumb.” Marinette tugged at her hair. “And he’s probably not all that different. But… I don’t know!” She flung her arms into the air, allowing them to quickly fall, slapping her on her sides as she turned back towards Tikki. “What if he is! What if I become disappointed with the Adrien I go back to simply because he is not the man version of himself? A lot can happen in eight years. I know he still has a lot of growing to do. What if I’m not happy with him in his adolescence?”

She’d always placed him on a pedestal. Would now really be any different? Instead of thinking he was some perfect model or whatever the heck she used to think about him, now she would just compare him to his future self: her perfectly, imperfect diamond.

“Now listen to me, Marinette.” Tikki closed the space between them, poking her in the chest. “I know you a lot better than that. You’ve loved that boy for how many years now? Four? He will not disappoint you.”

Marinette swallowed, trying to choke back the lump that was quickly forming in her throat.

“Tikki, I’m just so scared.” She clutched onto her kwami, gasping for breath. “All these years I thought I knew Adrien, but the past few days I learned that I didn’t know him one bit. I was excited that I finally got to know who he really is, but  _ that  _ Adrien’s different. I have no idea who he is at all!”

Hot, searing tears poured past her lashes as she tightened her embrace, squeezing Tikki against her chest. It was inevitable that Marinette would end up crying today, what with all the tears she had already witnessed and her building up emotions. 

_ Tikki was right _ . She thought, not even bothering to hold back her silent but seemingly endless crying. It was better to let it all out now instead of in front of  _ him _ .

“Marinette,” Tikki reached up, placing her paws on both of Marinette’s wettened cheeks, “that’s just not true. You’re overthinking things.”  _ What else was new? _ “Chat Noir is your best friend.”

Tikki sighed, clearly trying to think of the right words to say as Marinette struggled to keep her burning eyes open. “You may not know exactly what he is going through because of the secrets he has had to keep from you, but he has never hidden the most important part of him.”

“And what’s that?” Marinette sniveled, wiping at her eyes with her fists. Because clearly, she was too dense to arrive at the same conclusion.

“Oh, sweetie.” Tikki lowered Marinette’s arms, taking over the job of drying her tears as Marinette closed her eyes. “I’m talking about his heart. Adrien has always opened up his heart to you. You already know everything you need to know about who he is as a person. The rest of that stuff is just details. Sure, the Adrien of your time may not look like, or even have the same experiences as this Adrien. But none of that matters. His heart, his kindness, his love- it’s all already there. Now you just get to enjoy the ride, relishing in every single moment that will shape him into the man that you found here.”

Tikki took a deep breath. “So you can stop worrying now." She switched to dabbing at Marinette's eyelids. "Just go and show that boy how much you love him!”

Marinette simply bit her lips, slowly nodding - unable to properly form any remote semblance of a thought process.

“Tikki’s right, you know.”

Marinette jerked her eyes open, Tikki simultaneously flitting to the side, no longer blocking her vision.

“Never once did  _ your _ Adrien pale in comparison to  _ my  _ Adrien.” The woman continued, leaving the doorway and walking even further into the room. “In fact,” she smiled, although Marinette noted that it didn't quite meet her eyes, “if I remember correctly, it didn’t take very long for me to realize how truly idiotic I had been for even entertaining that assumption.”

Finally making her way all across the room, she placed her hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “No matter what, Adrien will always be just an adorkable, love-struck kitten.”

Marinette snickered.  _ Adorkable. _

“Come on,” the older Marinette tapped her shoulder. “You know it’s true. Just think of the time he plastered that rooftop full of roses. Only a bona fide, hopelessly romantic dork could think of something as cheesy as that.”

As all her fears dissipated, Marinette couldn’t keep herself from suddenly bursting into laughter. All of this had simply been ridiculous, and now Marinette was standing face-to-face with her very-much-pregnant future self, caught in that awkward state of laughing with trails of snot careening down her face.

Because truly. Why wouldn't he be the same Adrien? She had known her kitten for years. It wouldn't be like trying to get to know someone completely different. Tikki really was right, as usual. Because Adrien, Chat Noir - he already was her diamond. Maybe that diamond needed some polishing. But that wasn't something that would truly be too difficult, would it?

"Anyway,” the other Marinette continued, dropping her hand to her side, “I'm sorry for leaving you two up here alone for so long. I was-" she lowered her eyes, "well, you know. When I finally got the chance to tell him that Alix would be here soon, he decided that he should at least say goodbye."

Marinette stiffened, her heart feeling as if it was about to leap from her chest. 

Not once, in the entirety of these past few hours, did she imagine that she would get to speak with Adrien. Not with everything (whatever it was) that had just happened. 

What would she even say?  _ Hey, I'm sorry for nearly going crazy while constructing ludicrous misconceptions of your adolescence while you were clearly downstairs dealing with some sort of emotional crisis.  _

Right. How very empathetic. 

"I’m going to get him right now, if that’s okay?” She paused. “No. Scratch that. I know exactly how you're feeling,” she nervously chuckled. “I’m just going to send him in anyway. Believe me- which you should, because I’m you, obviously-,” she waved her hand, tilting her head as she clearly was trying to process what she was saying, “you and he really need to have this conversation.”

Nodding her head, as a final acceptance of her statement, she turned towards the door, quickly making her exit. 

“Well, that was interesting,” Tikki matter-of-factly stated.

“Yup,” Marinette stared towards the open, empty, doorway.

Tikki softly landed on Marinette’s shoulder. “Are you ready to talk to him?”

“Nope.” Marinette simply shook her head, unable to stop picturing Adrien crumpled, completely broken in his wife’s arms. 

_ Her _ arms.

Because in eight years, _ she _ would be the one spending her entire afternoon trying to comfort him.

Tikki’s cheek nuzzled against Marinette’s in a familiar, warm gesture. “I understand,” she nearly whispered. “But I also know that this is going to be an important moment for you both, so I’m going to go with Plagg downstairs while you two talk. Okay, Marinette?”

Marinette simply nodded.

With one more quick little hug to the side of Marinette’s face, Tikki swiftly flew out of the room.

Finding herself suddenly alone, Marinette rushed into the bathroom, hoping, as she dabbed her cheeks and swelled-up eyes with tissue, that Adrien wouldn’t notice she had been crying, too. He needed to be able to properly say goodbye. And making him worry about  _ her  _ right now was the exact opposite of what Marinette wanted.

“Knock, knock,” Adrien sheepishly peeked into the open doored bathroom.

Marinette jumped, dropping the tissue into the sink. 

“Sheez, cat!” She jerked her entire body, facing his direction, her right palm instinctively clutching at her left bosom. “You nearly gave me a heart-”

She froze - his unkempt hair and puffy, tear-stained face ripping straight through all her safeguarded emotions.

“Oh, Adrien,” she rushed across the room, throwing her arms around his midsection.

So what if she had decided to leave all the soothing to the Marinette of the future? She was the one who was here now, and she’d be darned if she didn’t show Adrien just how much she loved him. He was _hurting_. And there was _no_ way she could simply ignore that.

“My sweet Marinette.” He began petting the top of her head, loosely wrapping his free arm around her back. His voice had a slight quaver to it - as if it took everything within him to utter that sentence.

“You must not try to change anything about this visit when you are older,” he continued, obviously trying to get his point across before breaking down again. “It needs to happen this way. And no matter how much I beg you for information, you can’t say anything.”

He stopped rubbing her head, instead placing his hand beneath her chin, gently lifting it.

“Can you promise me?” His voice was strained, desperate.

Finally getting a chance to actually look into his eyes, Marinette’s heart clenched. His eyes were dazzling, shining with a deep, bright emerald that could only be surfaced from hours of endless crying.

She couldn’t understand what he was asking, or why on earth he would willingly, desperately, choose to go through this- but for some reason, whatever happened with Monsieur Agreste, must have been important. Even though Adrien was experiencing so much pain, so much evident heartache, whatever had happened, Adrien believed that it was all somehow worth it. Marinette knew better than to doubt him. He wouldn’t ask such a specific request if there wasn’t a good reason.

“I promise.” She bore into his eyes, hoping her deepest sincerity was evident. 

The next moment, Marinette was wrapped into the tightest, most heart wrenching hug she had ever experienced. 

“I know.” He whispered into her ear. “Thank you.” He started to back away, but rather pulled her in closer, making Marinette’s breath hitch at the sudden, unexpected movement. “Just so you know.” He spoke slightly louder this time, his breath warm against Marinette’s ear. “I forgive you for your part in this. So when the time comes for you to make this decision, don’t worry about it too much. I may be a bit hot-headed at times, and I’m not going to lie, this hurts like heck. But... I will survive. This day  _ must _ happen.”

He distanced himself just enough to peer into Marinette’s eyes, his gaze soft, but filled with such a depth of emotion as to nearly make Marinette start crying again.

“I’m sorry that this is how we have to say goodbye.” He removed his right arm from her waist, gently caressing his hand against her cheek instead. “All these years, I had no idea that you were carrying this on your shoulders.” He rubbed his thumb across her cheekbone, causing her breath to turn ragged at his foreign, intimate action. “Try to be gentle with me when you’re older and experiencing these past few days in a new perspective. As you can see, I can be a bit sensitive.” He weakly smiled.

Marinette bit her lips, nodding, her brows scrunching as her heart strangely and painfully palpitated. She didn’t know how much more she could take of this. Any more and she would- well, she didn’t know what exactly she would do. But she couldn’t just continue standing there without breaking down herself. It was too much, too painful seeing such a hurt kitten.

Slowly, Adrien leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. “I love you, Marinette. I always have, and I always will. Remember, this is not an ending. You will see me in a few minutes, right?” 

She clenched her arms even tighter around him. “I will,” she almost choked, remembering her revelation from earlier that morning. The Chat Noir she was returning to was still so lost, lonely, and broken.

“And I promise I will never ignore your pain again,” she vowed. “I’m so sorry, Kitty.” She backed away just enough to see his face again. “I know that I am not the Marinette from your time, but can I just hold you like this for now?” She smiled. “I’ll start here. I will start with comforting the hurting Adrien who is in my arms at this exact moment.”

And that’s all it took before Adrien’s lips started quivering, tears streaming as he pulled Marinette in even tighter, burying his face into her shoulder. His entire body trembled against Marinette’s, and no matter how much she wanted to help him, she could no longer stop herself from completely collapsing and crying right along with him - the both of them sinking together, collapsing onto the hard tile.

__---__

Marinette had no sense of time when considering the length of their embrace, but at some point the tears stopped flowing, and both of their breaths became more even. Marinette raised her hand, rubbing Adrien’s hair, his face still pressed against her shoulder. She opened her eyes, not surprised in the slightest to see her future self standing there - her own Tikki resting cautiously on her shoulder.

“Please take good care of him,” she begged, knowing wholeheartedly the woman in question,  _ herself _ , would always do whatever was needed in order to watch over Adrien.

The other Marinette simply nodded, slowly closing the space between them. 

_ You belong to her _ . Marinette loosened her grip on Adrien, carefully switching out her place with the older Marinette. 

“Alix and Tikki are waiting for you downstairs,” the woman whispered, resuming the job of petting Adrien’s hair. “Go show that boy how much you love him.”

This time, it was Marinette’s turn to nod, Tikki’s earlier quote not going unnoticed. She carefully stood, her knees sore from the countless minutes against the hard bathroom tile. 

_ Goodbye, Adrien _ . Marinette mentally said farewell, taking one final, excruciating look at the despondent man pressed against his wife. 

Then, she straightened her back, posturing her shoulders, and exited the bathroom, passing through the bedroom, and towards the landing.

It had only been a few days since she first meandered down this hall with Adrien quietly following, carefully keeping his distance so that she could slowly soak in everything. Marinette sighed, looking at all the pictures of her with Adrien lining the walls. So much had changed in such a short amount of time; Marinette could hardly process it. Back then, she had simply been freaking out that  _ she _ was Adrien’s wife, let alone the fact that he was actually  _ Chat Noir _ and her future self was pregnant with his  _ kitten. _

Reaching the top of the stairs, a burning wave of flurries danced through Marinette’s body at that final thought.  _ She  _ was one day going to be the mother of Chat Noir’s kittens. 

For some reason, that thought had yet to cross her mind, and she was almost giddy at the sudden realization. Her hero, the Dark Knight of Paris -  _ he _ was going to be the father of her children.

She had always imagined what Adrien would be like as a father. Heck, she had even prenamed three of their children and imagined a future hamster. But never once had Marinette thought about what Chat Noir would be like with his future children, and now that the thought was running rampant in her mind, she didn’t know if she would ever be able to stop it.

Marinette couldn’t keep herself from smiling as she descended down the stairs, visions of Chat Noir cradling their first child against his chest as he tried to calm the young one down. Of course he would be purring - a lullaby that would spoil any child.

Their babies would be the luckiest kids in the world. Of course Chat Noir would be the sweetest, most loving father- even if he did sometimes border the edge of being slightly too dangerous. Because there would be  _ no _ way that Adrien would pass up on the opportunity of scaling the Eiffel Tower, baby in hand, just to show off the beauty of Paris.

“Marinette!” Tikki chirruped, coming to meet Marinette as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Plagg zoomed past her, rushing by Marinette, up the stairs, towards Adrien - the look of worry on his face clearly evident. 

“Oh, Minibug,” Alix started from her seat on the couch. “You look terrible. I can’t take you back looking like you’ve just finished crying.”

Marinette sniffed, looking incredulously at her  _ adult _ friend, sitting casually, sipping on some tea. Her kwami, Fluff, was perched lazily next to her on the couch. It had been quite a while since Marinette had been visited by Bunnix, and it was almost surreal seeing her in her own time. 

“I know,” Marinette admitted, nonchalantly crossing the distance to the lounge chair perpendicular to the couch, sitting down and picking up the cup of tea that had been prepared for her ahead of time. “I’ll compose myself. Just give me a minute. I-I’m already feeling a lot better.”

She took a long sip, happily welcoming the warmth that slowly took root, spreading and blossoming seemingly everywhere inside her.

“I’ll give you all the time you need, girly,” Alix uncrossed her legs, leaning forward and grabbing the teapot in the center of the coffee table, refilling her mug. “We’ve got nothing but time on our side.”

“That’s true,” Marinette kept her mug close to her face, soaking in every ounce of its warmth as she looked to the window, noticing that it was now dark outside.

Alix crossed her legs once again, leaning back and draping her free arm across the back of the couch. “So while we're waiting for that pretty little face of yours to clear up, let’s go ahead and get on with it. I know you must be full of questions.”

Marinette pulled the cup closer, taking another sip of the heavenly liquid. Throughout the years, Marinette had learned that Alix wasn’t one to freely give up information.  That's why she would be so assured in giving her the bunny miraculous in the first place, whenever the time came.

No. Alix wouldn’t just willy nilly tell Marinette anything - she would only give her enough information that was necessary to protect the timeline.

Lowering her mug to her lap, Marinette thought carefully about just what exactly to ask and how to word her questions. 

“Okay,” she slowly began. “What makes things different this time?”

“You’ve got to be more specific than that, Bug. I’ve watched over countless timelines.”

Marinette moved her mug to the table. “ _ You  _ know!” she pointed directly at Alix. “The last time Adrien discovered my identity he ended up somehow getting akumatized and destroying the entirety of Paris.”

“The world,” Alix corrected. “But what’s your point?”

Frustrated, Marinette stood, flailing her arms, no longer thinking of how to carefully word her questions. “You know exactly what my point is! What’s going to keep the same thing from happening this time?”

Alix just grinned, taking another sip from her mug.

“Marinette,” Tikki chimed in, leaving her seat on the armrest and lowering one of Marinette’s arms. “If Bunnix didn’t know it was going to be safe, then she wouldn’t let you go through with this.”

“That’s true,” Alix winked towards Tikki. “But since I know it’s going to bother you, Minibug,” she turned back towards Marinette, “I’m going to give you a little hint.”

“Really?” Marinette bounced on her heels, her voice maybe a little too excited and high pitched. 

Alix simply smiled. “Of course, Marinette. Just think of it as a little dating advice from a wise old friend.”

Sitting back down, Marinette leaned forward on the chair. “Alright!” She knocked her knees together- unable to contain her excitement. “I’m listening.”

Alix laughed - loud and boisterous - while placing her mug on the table next to Marinette’s. “Sometimes I forget how cute you are when you’re really excited about something.” She smiled, crossing one arm, resting the other elbow on it and pressing her palm against her cheek. “You and Adrien really are the most adorable couple in Paris.”

At that, Marinette couldn’t stop the blush from spreading on her cheeks.

“You two just need to make sure that you never allow _ anyone _ to come between your relationship.” Alix firmly commanded, lowering her hand in order to cross both arms. “Trust in your love, stand strong, and stick together. You got that?”

Marinette bit her lips, nodding her head, wondering if Adrien had been akumatised because someone had tried to separate them. He had said it was their love that had destroyed the world. Had this person been successful? Had Adrien been so heartbroken that he had succumbed to Hawkmoth’s akuma?

_ Never again _ . Marinette decided. There was no way she would  _ ever  _ allow that to happen. They were both older now. Surely they would be able to stand up to anybody that ever tried to break them apart. Their love was definitely stronger than that.

“Thank you,” she finally responded, moving from her chair to sit next to Alix on the couch, wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug. “I think I understand.”

“I know you do,” Alix hugged her back. “Things will get tough for you, Bug, but I promise, you and Adrien will get through it.”

___...___

Several minutes later, after much laughing and mindless chatter, an already transformed Bunnix turned towards Marinette. “Are you ready for this, Minibug?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Marinette bounced nervously on the tips of her toes. 

“You remember the plan?” Bunnix raised her brow.

Closing her eyes, Marinette recited, “Focus. Defeat the Akuma. Make sure everything is repaired with my Miraculous. And then- try not to back out of telling Adrien I love him.”

“Good.” Bunnix opened the portal, holding a handkerchief out to Marinette. 

“You’ve got this,” Tikki squeezed Marinette’s shoulder.

“Mhm…” Marinette tried to force a grin, grabbing the blindfold from Bunnix, her stomach lurching in dreaded anticipation.

Ever since they had actually started talking seriously about her return, Marinette’s entire body felt as if it had been racked over with queasiness. She had known for most of the day that this was coming, but that certainly didn’t make the moment any less of a daunting experience.

She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry at the reality of the portal in front of her.

This was it.

This was the moment she was going to go back to see  _ her _ Adrien.

All those years of carefully guarding her secret, turning Chat Noir down because of her idiotic pining over Adrien... all of that was about to be over. 

_ I’m coming, Kitty _ . She softly grinned.  _ Your wait for your Lady is finally over. _

Taking a deep breath, Marinette tried to relax her tensed shoulders, closing her eyes. She sharply exhaled, pumping her fist to her side.  _ I can do this! _

“Tikki,” she popped her eyes open, firmly taking a step towards the beckoning portal. “Spots on!”


	20. Memories

══════════════════

Eight years.

When Marinette was a child, eight years seemed like a lifetime. Heck, eight years  _ was _ a lifetime for someone so young! In eight years, one could go through both collège and lycée. If you had a favorite TV show, well, there would be enough time for all eight seasons to be completed. 

Eight years had always been such a large amount of time. 

So it was only natural that Marinette had thought the years would continue to move that slow.  _ She _ didn’t have to worry about the future she had once visited. That Adrien who had cried on her shoulder - it didn’t matter yet - he existed in a future that was way off in the distance.

There was no use in thinking too much about it. All Marinette had to do was simply live in the present. 

And oh boy! Had she ever lived in the present!

Day after day, Marinette lived her life to the fullest. Had everything been perfect? Certainly not. But she always had the promise of that beautiful future in order to help her get through it.

When Gabriel had threatened Marinette when she and Adrien started dating, she had been strong, never losing sight of the promise of her career in fashion. When Adrien decided to break all ties with his father, forfeiting the right to his inheritance, Marinette stood firmly by his side, remembering the promise of their adorable cottage. And even when they had been forced to hold such a small, secret ceremony in fear of Gabriel trying to ruin it, she never let that weigh on her shoulders. She had the promise of the most beautiful marriage.

For eight years, Marinette blissfully worked towards these assurances: Adrien, her rose garden, their baby. All of that was waiting for her in the future.

Until - it wasn’t.

Her knowledge of the passing of time had betrayed her. Eight years wasn’t a lifetime. It was hardly even a moment.

And now Marinette had somehow aged into a twenty-five year old woman. She had a beautiful cottage, a drop dead gorgeous husband, and her precious first born child, Emma, on the way.

No longer were these the guarantees of the future. Somehow, somewhen - they had turned into her present day. And as she sat on the plane from Milan to Paris, Marinette, for the first time in a little over eight years, was fearful of what was to come.

She sighed, looking out the tiny window, the bright morning sun glinting off the airplane wing. 

If only she could go back to living for all of the future promises. If only she knew how things would turn out. Then maybe, just maybe, she would be able to enter this new challenge with confidence; just like she had done when she was seventeen.

»»---------------------►

There was a plan. 

A simple, easy-to-follow plan.

First, defeat the Akuma. Marinette knew that, of course. She had gone over it plenty of times with Alix.

That wasn’t so hard to start with. 

_ Was _ it?

So why, upon exiting the portal, had Marinette not only completely neglected to look for the villain, but impulsively and ridiculously thrown herself right into the arms of Chat?

Yep. That was the position in which she currently found herself. Marinette couldn’t even go for five whole seconds without completely flinging herself at Adrien. 

She hadn’t meant to, obviously. She really had planned on jumping straight into action. But as soon as she had seen him - the somewhat awkward, lanky Chat Noir that was  _ her  _ partner, reaching desperately in her direction - all rationality completely faded. 

Because he was here. Right in front of her. The love of her life - her future husband - Adrien Agreste was right here, and he was hers for the taking.

So what if the so-called villain was about to attack. If they were hit, so be it. Bunnix would always be there to save them, and Marinette wouldn’t mind spending the rest of her life begging, the somewhat meticulous heroine, for her forgiveness.

This moment. This embrace. It was completely worth it.

Not only had Marinette managed to crush her arms around him, burrowing her face in his chest ( _ since when had it been so defined? _ ), but Adrien had effectively followed in like manner, enveloping her in the biggest bear hug she believed he had ever given.

His response hadn’t been immediate, granted, but it didn’t take more than a few shocked, stiff seconds before he relaxed, completely melting into her embrace. The hug in return then happened so quickly, yet fluidly that Marinette could only determine that he had been waiting entirely too long for this exact moment.

To say her heart was now running a mile a minute would be a massive understatement.

She simply  _ had  _ to take in this euphoric moment to enjoy their closeness, slightly snickering at herself for ever believing  _ this _ Adrien could ever pale in comparison to the one she had previously been hugging. If the pure giddiness and buzzing throughout her body wasn’t enough to confirm her prior idiocy, then the tingling, burning sensation she felt as Adrien’s cheek pressed softly against the top of her head certainly did it. 

Because this hug, this embrace, it was completely different. Before, she had simply been comforting, receiving all the sorrow of the man that would one day be her husband. But this time - she could feel it.  _ This  _ Adrien, no matter how quickly and unexpectedly she had thrown herself on him,  _ this _ Adrien was pouring all his love and devotion into the girl he was holding right now. There was no other woman. No other ‘future Marinette’ in which he ‘split’ his affections. This was all for her, and Marinette didn’t know, if, once completely released, she would be able to stand under the weight of all these beautiful emotions. 

Because  _ he _ had still yet to discover her identity. How much more would his love spill forth once he knew it's not only Ladybug but Marinette that he was holding?

"M’lady," he softly breathed into her ear, the slight huskiness in his voice causing a shiver to run down her spine.  _ Was he trying to be this seductive?  _ "Not that I'm not enjoying this, because believe me, I am. Especially after seeing you get hit by that attack and forgetting, for a second, that Bunnix could bring you back." He somehow managed to squeeze her even tighter. "But could you please fill me in on what  _ clawsed _ this sudden little display of affection?"

_ Ba-dum. _

" _ Ooh _ no." She unwrapped her arms from around his back, pushing against his chest, hoping the distance, no matter how small, would somehow calm her racing heart down. “That pun was bad for even  _ you, _ Adrien.”

Immediately, his arms stiffened around her. Then, after a brief moment, he visibly relaxed, as if whatever had been on his mind had simply slipped away.

Without warning, he raised his brow, tilting his head down slightly, as he peered up over his lashes, his eyes looking playful, yet somehow…  _ mischievous _ . 

_ Ba-dum. _

“What?” she nervously giggled, ignoring the tightness in her chest as she slightly raised her index finger, tapping his bell. 

A strange light flickered at the edge of her vision. Turning to face it, she barely had enough time to slip from Chat Noir’s grasp, unclasping her yo-yo and spinning it in front of them, barely preventing the blast from sending them both on a little field trip into the future. 

_ Right. _ She took a deep breath, glancing back at Chat, her yo-yo still spinning, her breath strangely uneven. “We  _ seriously _ need to focus,” she spoke more to herself than she did to Adrien.

“Do you have any deets on the villain? Well, besides his ability to send people to the future. That was fun and all...” she flicked some stray hairs over her shoulder as she tried to keep her mind on the task at hand and  _ not _ on her most previous adventure. “But I’m a bit more curious at this point about a potential weakness.”

Chat stood there unaffectedly, staring point-blank right at Marinette, smirking and crossing his arms as if saying,  _ Oh? There’s an akuma? So what about it? _

“Maybe I’ll tell you what _ I _ discovered,” he raised his fist, propping up his chin as he somehow managed to arch his eyebrow even higher than earlier, “if you tell  _ me _ how you found I was Adrien.”

_ Ba-dum. _

Marinette’s heart stuttered and her eyes widened as her mouth automatically popped open.

“W-what?!” Her yo-yo mindlessly began slowing. “When did I? H-how did you-”

“I thought you said we needed to  _ focus _ ,” he bantered, jumping in front of her, whisking out his baton in order to block another burst of light. “Or were you really planning on just openly gawking at my  _ model figure  _ for the next hour.”

“I-I...” her breath caught slightly, her eyes wandering over his suddenly near-perfect-looking features. 

She swallowed hard, internally berating herself for her previous dismissal of Chat Noir’s appearance. Was he tall? Definitely. But how on  _ earth _ had she ever deemed Adrien’s obvious gorgeous body as anything less than perfection?

It was as if a filter had finally been lifted. She didn’t know if all these years she had simply just been ignoring Chat’s clear attractiveness, or if somehow, unconsciously, all of her focus on  _ Adrien’s _ particular body had left her completely blinded.

“Oh so you  _ were _ ?” 

She guiltily snapped her eyes back up to his face, her ears searing in embarrassment.

He playfully wagged his eyebrows, all the while making sure to keep his baton spinning as he faced back, keeping  _ her _ the center of his entire focus.

Marinette scoffed.  _ Why that teasing little- _

_ Thud _ !

Marinette and Chat both turned their attention towards the sound, only to see that the Akuma had finally made his grand landing on their little rooftop.

══════════════════

_ This is useless. _ Marinette dropped her pencil, rubbing circles against her temple. 

She had assumed the hour and a half long plane ride was the perfect time to touch up on some of her latest designs, and she’d attempted to do just that. But for some reason, her mind was just too gosh-darn stuck in the past!

It had been a while since she had thought about her and Adrien’s official beginning, but she supposed since things were about to come full circle there really was no way to avoid experiencing a certain amount of flashbacks.

Just like Alya had stated, Marinette had no trouble taking Adrien as her boyfriend almost as soon as she had returned home. That next day at school had been priceless, what with everyone’s freaked out reactions. Marinette had been sure to hold onto Adrien’s hands as much as she could, and seeing the gaping mouths of each and every person they passed never got old.

For those first few days after the reveal, it had been painfully obvious that Adrien was still trying to let everything soak in. It was as if each and every morning he woke up, he had to convince himself that it hadn’t all just been a dream.

_ Had _ it been a dream? Sometimes, even Marinette had caught herself wondering the same thing. 

After those first few days of initial shock (or whatever it had been that Adrien experienced), things finally seemed to click, and more and more Marinette caught his Chat shining through in their day-to-day interactions.

Adrien really was such a gentleman: holding doors, Chat-like bows, making sure Marinette was comfortable with their rapidly growing relationship, the works. And even though he openly flirted with her a lot more than she would have ever expected, it was honestly really cute coming from Adrien.

Not that it wasn’t equally as cute coming from Chat…

And boy oh boy had she fallen for that smarmy cat. No longer was Ladybug immune to his wild and coquettish antics, but she seemed to swoon with almost his every movement. To say that it took a while before their teamwork was back up to par would be quite an understatement.

And it wasn’t like things were automatically magic and roses, either. Even though they had been quick to admit their feelings to one another, it was quite another thing entirely before they experienced any real sense of closeness. There was still so much they didn’t know about each other. So many years had been wasted, just skirting on the edges of a real relationship, that once they started dating, it was almost as if they were stuck in their habits and unable to emerge from the depths of years of piled up secrets.

They had known each other for so long - experienced so much pain, fear, and even happiness together - but they had never, ever been able to break beneath the surface.

The reveal had broken the ice, but it wasn’t as if all their memories would fling themselves out of the water like salmon heading upstream. They still needed a fishing pole and lots of patience.

It wasn’t until several months later, when Adrien finally openly talked about the disappearance of his mother, crying in Marinette’s arms for the first time (well, for him) that there was a huge emotional turning point in their relationship. Because no longer were they just in love with each other, but they were actively acting in  _ love _ with one another. Sharing their burdens: their deepest, darkest fears and traumas. No longer did that pain only belong to Adrien. It was Marinette’s as well, and she would do everything in her power to be there for him.

Marinette closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, allowing the hum of the airplane to lull her into a state of relaxation. She hadn’t really thought about it before, but she had been right when she had stopped the future Adrien from telling her about his mother. That really  _ was _ something that she had needed to hear from  _ her _ Adrien. 

Timing was everything.

»»---------------------►

_ Focus, Marinette! _ She reminded herself, attempting to analyze her foe while desperately trying to stop thinking about that _ stupid  _ cat with his  _ stupid  _ perfect abs and  _ stupid _ dancing eyebrows.

It was the first time that she had truly gotten the chance to take a good look at the villain, and if he just happened to hear the slight snicker coming from her mouth, she wouldn’t have minded. Because, seriously, this guy just looked plain stupid.

With the body of a fly, and the black and white striped outfit of someone who looked like they had just escaped prison, Marinette could only jeer at Hawmoth’s clear lack of direction. The giant analogue clock on his chest clearly pointed to the fact that his powers had something to do with time, but Marinette couldn’t get over the fact his getup was literally a representation of the tropes  _ stealing time  _ and  _ time flies.  _ Like, really, Hawkmoth - just pick  _ one _ !

“Oh, don’t stop flirting on my account,” the villain devilishly grinned. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

Chat stopped twirling his baton ( _ a strange decision _ ), using it rather for support as he lackadaisically leaned against it, his arms folded against the top, his legs crossed in an almost comical, exaggerated manner. “Then why, perchance,  _ Sir Fly,  _ haven’t you hit us yet?”

The Akuma faltered, tapping the clock on his chest, causing a green projection of a clock to appear in front of him. “I did!” He stretched his hand forward, twisting the virtual clock as if he were turning a doorknob, looking very much, Marinette noted, like Tony Stark manipulating holographic data on the movie  Iron Man . “But something must have gone wrong!”

Marinette tried to suppress a laugh as she stepped forward next to Chat, placing her hand on her hip. “Oh, it  _ worked _ .” She grinned. “In fact, I had quite an  _ ameowsing _ time in the few days I got to just  _ paws  _ in the future, discovering some quite  _ unpurrlievable _ secrets.” She winked at Chat, delighted to see his flustered, red cheeked reaction at her clear insinuation that she had spent  _ some _ ... if not  _ all _ of that time with him. Since the cat was already out of the bag. Why not just roll with it? 

“That was, until my friend brought me back,” she turned her focus back on the villain, not missing Chat almost completely losing his balance out of the corner of her eye. “You realize that’s what happened don’t you?” She slowly shook her head, half mocking him and the off-kilter cat trying to save face right next to her. “No matter where, when, or how many times you try to send us -  _ she _ will just bring us back.”

"You're lying!" The Akuma roared, a beam of light blasting from the projected clock in front of him.

Somersaulting out of the way, Marinette quickly righted herself, flinging her yoyo towards the now-exposed clock on his chest. However, just as it was about to hit, the green virtual projection thrust out once again, knocking the yo-yo out of its path.

“Chat!” She called out, annoyed at seeing him nonchalantly peering over the edge of the roof. “We need to come up with a plan.  _ Now _ would be a good time to tell me what you’ve already figured out.”

He whipped his head back in her direction, a giant cheshire grin spreading across his face. “Sure thing, Bugaboo,” he waved her over in his direction, extending his baton and vaulting over to a neighboring rooftop.

Hurriedly following suit, and putting a little bit of buffer distance between themselves and the villain, Marinette found herself hiding with Chat, crouching behind a large air conditioning unit a few buildings away.

“I’ve got a theory,” he pointedly stated after checking to make sure the villain had lost sight of them. “But first,” his eyes bore into hers, “I need you to answer a few questions.”

_ Ba-dum. _

_ Of course he did... _

“Not  _ now _ , Chat!” She poked his chest, dodging his hypnotic gaze as to not be tempted to immediately start spilling all her secrets. “We really need to-”

“Shh…” his gloved finger pressed against her lips, the unexpected contact causing her eyes to jump back to his. “I know,” he softly cooed, the sincerity in his expression reminding her once again that,  _ yes _ , this was Adrien. 

_ Ba-dum. _

“I’ll forget about that  _ other thing _ , for now.” He gently traced his claw towards the edge of her mouth, her breath hitching and lips involuntarily parting at the new, intoxicating sensation. “But I really need to know how far into the future you were sent. Was it hours? Days? Month-”

“Years.” Marinette managed to squeak out, grabbing onto Chat’s, no  _ Adrien’s _ , hand and lowering it from her mouth. “I won’t tell you how many,” she could practically feel her own eyes glisten, “but it was years, Adrien.”

His ensuing red-faced-sputtering was almost too cute for Marinette to bear. Were those even  _ words _ trying to come out of his mouth? 

“What?” She playfully cocked her brow, pressing his hand against her bosom. “ _ Ladybug _ got your tongue, Kitty Cat?” 

At that, he jerked his hand from hers, balling it into a fist and using it to cover his mouth as he hunched over, choking.

Flirting with him had never been so fun. 

Suddenly, Marinette could hear new screams as they erupted in the street behind them. 

A little  _ too  _ close for comfort, she frowned, miffed at herself for, yet again, wasting so much time. Never, besides maybe her time spent as Lady Noire, had she ever allowed herself to become so distracted in the middle of an attack. Her idiocy this morning (although it had been evening when she left) seemed to have no limits.

“I’m sorry,” she placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping the comforting gesture would help in calming him down. “I shouldn’t have goaded you on like that. Was my answer helpful at all? Talk to me, Minou.”

“M’hem,” Chat cleared his throat.

He looked like he was about to have another coughing fit, but, surprisingly enough, that simple, soothing contact seemed enough to restrain it. He raised his head, an almost comical grin plastered across his face and rested his free hand on top of hers, squeezing it gently.

“It was.”

“Come out, come out wherever you  _ aaare _ , little bug and kitten,” the villain sang, his voice no more than a schoolbus’s length away.

“And?” Marinette kindly prompted Chat, trying not to display her nervousness at the rapid flashes of light now dancing at the edge of her vision.

“His weakness is time.” Adrien matter-of-factly stated, winking ( _ How dare he be so flirtatious yet still so heart-melting?! _ ) as he stood up and pulled her along. “Just follow my lead, Bugaboo.”

But all she could do was to simply watch as he ran from their hiding spot, lengthening his baton and launching himself towards the unsuspecting villain.

══════════════════

Alya was the first person to discover their secret. It took her all of point five seconds to piece together Ladybug’s strange behavior around Chat alongside Marinette’s newfound confidence with Adrien.

Being aware that Alya knew of their identities in the future, made it that much easier for Marinette to own up to her discovery.

The plane jolted. Relaxation time was over. Marinette's eyes burst open and she had to suppress a giggle, remembering the hilarity of _ that  _ little exchange.

It had happened approximately three days after her return from the future. Alya stormed into her bedroom right after the first Akuma attack in which she fought alongside her boyfriend.

The battle had been a disaster, naturally, because Marinette just couldn’t stop  _ looking _ at him.

Of course Adrien was in the room with her when Alya barged in. He had been more than excited at the chance of being able to detransform together. And his presence just added that much more fuel to Alya’s fire.

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while already,” she huffed, barely having made it to the top of the stairs. “But that poor performance out there today certainly nailed it.”

“Hi Alya,” Adrien had greeted. “It’s nice to see you, too”

“Can it, Agreste,” she sauntered across the room, poking him in the chest. “Not only was Marinette totally incapable of completing her job today because of her sudden fascination with ogling you, but don’t for one second think that I didn’t catch glimpses of you checking out  _ her _ butt, too.”

Adrien had tried to feign innocence, but Marinette knew it was pointless. Alya had caught them, and there was nothing left to do but accept it.

Clearly, it was within her right to tell Nino as well. They were Rena Rouge and Carapace (her words) for crying out loud. Marinette had to draw the line after that, but it didn’t take more than a year for their other crime fighting partners to discover their secret as well.

Apparently once romantic feelings were added, it was much easier to recognize the sappy, lovebitten pair. 

One month of dating was all it took before Marinette’s mom, Sabine, walked in on the duo detransforming in her bedroom. And was she surprised? No. Apparently she had figured it out years ago. Adrien’s identity had been a mere guess until they became an official couple, but such is life.

Marinette’s so carefully guarded identity wasn’t so secret afterall.

Marinette paused her reminiscing, closing her notebook. Honestly, having her friends and family know she and Adrien were Ladybug and Chat Noir was so much better than having to shoulder all of the burden on their own.

And whatever it was that was lying in the path ahead of them, Marinette knew she and Adrien had an abundance of shoulders to lean on.

»»---------------------►

_ That’s usually My line _ . Marinette pursed her lips, hardly managing to suppress the urge to burst into giggles as she quickly lost all sight of her partner. 

Over the years, Chat had often taken on more of a leader type role, but no matter how many times it happened, Marinette was never any less amused to watch him in action. Her heart swelled with affection, thinking of how her pupil never ceased to rise to the occasion.

Deciding now was as good as ever, she quietly summoned her Lucky Charm.

“What the heck am I supposed to do with  _ this _ ?” She pouted at the polka-dotted Chat doll in her hand. It was cute and all, but  _ seriously _ , how was she supposed to use a stuffed animal to defeat a villain?

“You’re going to have to do better than _ that _ , Chat Noir,” the Akuma bellowed not too far off in the distance. 

Peering around the corner, Marinette quickly found a crouching Chat Noir on the adjacent rooftop - the still airborne villain launching a flurry of attacks directly towards him.

“Maybe,” Chat countered as he gracefully weaved back and forth, dodging each and every blast, making Marinette's jaw drop at just how beautiful his movements were. Had Chat Noir’s fighting style always been this fluid? Not that she should have been surprised - Adrien had long since been one of Paris's top fencing students. 

“But," Chat slowed his pace as the barrage ended, "you have a few things to improve upon, yourself,  _ Monsieur Flying Bandit _ .”

_ In fact _ , she giggled to herself, almost completely tuning out their conversation - all of the city’s fangirls would completely flip out if they knew that not only was Chat Noir France’s most dashing and roguish superhero but that he was  _ the _ Adrien Agreste, teen heartthrob of Paris, all rolled up into one, extremely gorgeous, and breathtaking package. 

“The name’s Time Stealer to you,” the villain retorted, reaching once again towards his projection. “I won’t stop until I’ve taken  _ everyone's _ precious moments!”

_Well_ , Marinette dreamily smiled, at least she would be taking him off the market before he added _France’s_ _most eligible bachelor_ to his ever growing list of titles.

“So that’s what you were trying to do,” Chat balked, hurriedly backflipping to dodge another attack. “From the looks of all the people who have already come back,” he glanced towards the street, “I wouldn't say you have been very successful.”

_ Wait.  _ Marinette shook her head, trying once again to make herself focus on the present.  _ What is he talking about? _

She followed Chat’s gaze, having to step a bit closer to the edge in order to get a full view of what was going on. Sure enough, people were materializing in the streets, one after another.

How had she missed that before?

“What would _you_ know?!” Time Stealer’s howl quickly drew Marinette’s attention. “A person can miss a lot in just a few minutes.”

“Maybe if they had the lifespan of a fly,” Chat shouted as Marinette watched him masterfully elude another series of blasts. “But with the _ little trips _ you’ve been sending people on, you’ve simply been a mere annoyance."

_ Oh!  _

Marinette stifled a laugh, recognizing the daring in Chat’s tone. It wouldn’t be long now, and the Akuma would do exactly what Chat Noir wanted.

Reverse psychology always performed wonders.

But the question was - why  _ hadn't _ Time Stealer been sending everyone else as far into the future as he had sent her? If he truly was trying to make them miss out on their 'precious moments,' then why was he settling for sending so many forward by just a few minutes?

And then there was the other factor that Marinette didn't quite get. Why would Adrien even want Time Stealer to up his game? So what if he was being a lame villain? Wasn't that a good thing?

"Ha!" Time Stealer reared his head, adjusting his virtual projection once again. "Not all my victims were quite so lucky. And it looks like _you're_ about to be one of the unfortunate ones you annoying feline!"

"Only if you can catch me!" Chat mocked. But Marinette could hear the resignation in his voice. Adrien wanted the Akuma's attack to hit him.

Her heart skipped a beat. 

But  _ why _ ?

Having her partner disappear into the future was not exactly something she would deem as being particularly helpful. 

Waiting for the seemingly inevitable, Marinette turned her focus back towards the villain. But, instead of immediately attacking, like she expected, Time Stealer hesitated.

It was then, even though his back was to her, that Marinette saw it: the all-too-familiar faint purple glow of her apparently-not-too-happy arch villain. Evidently the idea of sending another Miraculous far off into the future wasn’t quite what he wanted. _Talk about counterproductive._ She wondered if Hawkmoth had even thought about this power before so carelessly granting it to this misshapen villain. 

Another movement caught her eye, and she switched her gaze just in time to see Chat Noir flying ( _ catapulting _ ?) back towards her rooftop. Upon landing, he pointedly looked in her direction, nodding as if saying, " _ This is it. Time to get your Ladybug on." _

She swallowed hard, still not quite grasping the entirety of Adrien’s stratagem. 

Her eyes wandered to the Chat doll she had been unconsciously squeezing in her hands - a Lucky Charm that didn’t seem useful in the slightest bit.

_ But _ , the thought flashed into her head, maybe it _ didn’t _ need to have a purpose. Maybe it was just trying to tell her something - to let her know that she should have faith in Chat Noir’s plan.

That seemed reasonable enough. She had received plenty of Lucky Charms like this in the past. But the problem was, she still didn't know what was going on in that devious cat's head. 

_ Ugh! _

If she hadn't been so caught up in teasing him earlier, then maybe he would have actually had the chance to explain.  _ Why _ had she been so stu-

Beep, beep, beep! Her earrings chimed.

Marinette straightened her shoulders. Berating herself wouldn’t get her anywhere. She had to figure out what Adrien was thinking and she had to figure it out fast. 

She looked back out to him, hoping he might give her some kind of hint. But it was too late. Because at that exact moment Time Stealer was already propulsing another stream of light.

And it was going directly towards Adrien.

There was no more time to think: Marinette’s body launched into action. And no sooner than Adrien had disappeared, Ladybug was already there, thrusting her yo-yo towards the unsuspecting villain. 

This time, however, his projection didn’t get a chance to appear, and the exposed clock on his chest completely shattered - a darkened butterfly emerging from the pieces.

Well, _ that _ had been a lot easier than she had expected.

Time Stealer dropped to his knees, making Marinette thankful that he had still been hovering over the adjacent building instead of over the several stories-high crevice. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Marinette quickly retracted her yo-yo, pressing it and saying her signature phrase.

“Time to de-evilize!” She spun her yo-yo, quickly catching the fleeing Akuma. “Gotcha!” She pressed her yo-yo again, releasing the now purified insect. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.”

Without a second to waste, she (reluctantly) threw the tiny Chat Noir doll in the sky, incanting, “Miraculous Ladybug!” 

She watched, smiling, as the familiar pink shrouded ladybugs darted throughout the streets of Paris, happy cries following the path of their magic. 

══════════════════

Marinette wasn’t sure when she had realized that she was living the future that she had visited. Was it when she had turned twenty-five? Or perhaps the moment she had found out she was pregnant?

Things about her experience in the future were certainly starting to make more sense. Painting and decorating the room for baby Emma, of course Marinette had made sure to lock it. Why, even the conundrum of the missing feminine products had been solved when Marinette had given them to an overworked Alya. Her new job at the news station had really put her through the ringer and she had hardly had any time to shop for months. Sending Nino to the store had been an option, but as soon as Marinette had heard of Alya’s dire plight, she had been more than happy to provide a donation. Besides, with the pregnancy and nursing, who knew when she would have her next period.

It wasn’t until Plagg had sent her a certain video of a rather shocked, terrified, and very naked husband that she remembered the young girl staying at her home and the, previously forgotten, fact about her period starting.

Booking her ticket to Milan had pretty much been the final nail in the coffin. This was it. She was finally the Marinette that she had met in the future, and was about to live the same time period all over again just from a different perspective. 

Had she made some mistakes in how she had treated her husband? Certainly. It had been too easy to forget the emotional side of things when she was literally hundreds of miles and eight years removed from the situation. Adrien had been really good at hiding his hurt feelings from her in the past, and honestly until he had called her, she had completely forgotten the advice that the future him had given. Yes, her blunders had been plenty.

She just hoped calling Gabriel hadn’t been one of them.

»»---------------------►

"You did it, my Lady!" Chat's voice suddenly appeared behind her. "I knew you'd figure it out!"

_ Ba-dum. _

She jerked around, words hastily toppling out of her mouth. "Y-yeah!! It was an accident- I mean, I beat him, ya'know, but my body just kind of acted on its-  _ wait… _ I really don't have a clue what just happened," she sputtered, shaking her head in disbelief that she had actually managed to defeat the villain. 

Chat Noir chuckled, stepping forward, nearly closing all distance between them, and quietly whispered in her ear, "You're cute when you're nervous."

_ Ba-dum! _

She jerked back, only for Chat to catch her arm, his eyes pleading, begging for her to just stay with him in that moment.

_ Those eyes.  _ Her heart shattered.  _ Those beautiful piercing, yet desperate eyes.  _ If only she could take back time - to all of those moments she had shoved this poor precious boy aside. If only she could have chosen, rather, to wrap her arms tightly around him. Then maybe, just maybe she could have prevented that look from ever entering his eyes. 

But as it stood, this Chat Noir, this  _ Adrien _ , was still afraid that she would one day no longer be by his side. 

She could see it now - in his present and in his past actions. She had been so blind! Every little glance. At the end of every battle. He had been terrified! Just  _ when  _ was it going to be their last good-bye? 

He loved her. Oh, gosh did he love her.

And she had just thrown all of his feelings aside!

And what?! They were just supposed to forever to keep their identities a secret? To just casually one day say good-bye?  _ Hey, it was nice knowin’ ya, kid. Catch you never! _

Right… like she could have ever really done that. Even without knowing Chat Noir was Adrien, she would be devastated without him in her life! How had she  _ never _ thought of that before? How had she thought that keeping things secret would just be alright?

Because it wasn’t. And she had somehow deluded herself into believing that lie.

“I’m sorry.” He reached up to her cheek, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, and she couldn’t help but to blush furiously in the process. “That was thoughtless of me. Just because you figured out my identity doesn’t mean that you would suddenly have-”

“Shhh, Kitty.” She pressed her finger to his lips. If  _ he _ could do it, so could she. 

_ This is it. _ She smiled, her entire body buzzing, responding to the fact that  _ this _ was the moment. She was about to confess everything to Adrien. 

All she had to do was simply say the words. Then her entire life would be different.

_ Adrien’s _ life would be different. Because from this day onward, she would be  _ his _ , and Chat Noir would no longer be some lost and lonely stray.

Pushing aside her wildly roaming thoughts for the moment, Marinette decided to admire the visage of Adrien standing so vulnerably in front of her. She sighed contentedly, softly removing her finger from his lips, gently placing her hand upon his cheek. The tips of her fingers grazed the edge of his mask, but Marinette felt as if she could finally see everything that was held underneath. His eyes no longer looked at her with despondence, but more with a natural cat-like curiosity. Having him bare himself in front of her like this, she could almost swear that she could feel him draining away all of her nervous energy.

Because there was nothing to truly be afraid of. He was her partner - her best friend. They were two halves a whole - made perfectly for one another.

Marinette fluttered her eyes, hardly believing the way in which the mid-day sun perfectly framed him. It was almost as if even the heavens were happily waiting for the moment of their union.

Unable to wait another second longer, Marinette took a deep breath. 

"Adrien, I-"

“My baby!” 

She flung her head towards the unwelcome interrupter, her heart sinking as her hand fell limply to her side.  _ Of course _ she had forgotten to take care of the Akuma victim. Her job wasn’t finished. 

She sighed, looking at the previously akumatized man, who was now freaking out as he peered over the edge of the adjacent roof, scouring for a way down. 

He couldn’t have been much older than twenty-five, Marinette decided, having spent so much time recently with the twenty-five year old Adrien. He was tall and slender, she noted, with auburn shoulder length hair.

“I’ve got to get to the hospital!” He continued, now pacing frantically. “My baby! Oh gosh! My wife is going to kill me; I’ve missed the birth of our first child!”

A hand pressed against her shoulder. “It looks like you’re going to have to save that thought for later. Right now, we’ve got to take care of this guy.”

_ Yep.  _ She nodded her head, looking back towards Adrien.

Her earrings beeped for the second time.

Nothing was going at all like she had envisioned.

══════════════════

It happened the day before she had talked on the phone with Adrien. The day before she realized how hard he had already been taking all of this.

She had thought about it for months, talked to Tikki, prayed for hours; and every single time she came to the same conclusion. She had to tell Gabriel.

Everytime she brought it up with Adrien, he completely shut her down. Of course, she understood his resentment; she had lived through enough threats and fear from that man to once vow that she would always hate him.

How could there even have been another option? He was terrible. Escaping from his grips had all but broken Adrien. He had been left with nothing: no penny to his name and no love from his father. If it hadn't been for Marinette and her family, and of course, all of their friends, Adrien may have never recovered. But thankfully, that hadn’t been the case, and their love had been enough to support and carry him.

But Marinette had always been able to see the residual pain. Even though he claimed that he was over it, she knew better than that. Chat Noir had never been able to truly hide his emotions.

And now that she was pregnant, with  _ that  _ man’s grandchild, she knew they wouldn’t be able to keep their distance forever. Regardless of her opinions of him, wasn’t it only courteous to let him know that his only son was about to become a father?

Because there was no world in which both Gabriel and Marinette Agreste existed that he wouldn’t discover their secret. 

No.

Scratch that. Her pregnancy was not some sort of classified information. And regardless of Adrien’s delusions, or maybe just selective ignorance, there would be no way that Gabriel wouldn’t get wind of the pregnant woman who just happened to share  _ his _ last name attending the world’s fashion designer conference. 

Of course, he wouldn’t be there. He always sent Nathalie to represent him at such things. But Marinette knew. She had to get to him first. Beat all the press. The gossipers. It was best that Gabriel found out on her terms. Not someone else’s.

Since she had become pregnant, at least noticeably pregnant, things had been pretty quiet. Certainly, she had plenty of work to do back at the shop, but it wasn’t as if she had needed to make any public appearances.

And while her business was starting to really take off, it wasn’t as if her brand was quite popular enough for her to be considered famous. Adrien had been out of the spotlight for a long time. So really, besides the whole secret superhero thing (which she was taking a break from anyway), their life was relatively unnoticed and quiet.

Getting the invitation to this prestigious event was honestly quite the shock to Marinette, and she had made sure that she and her employees would have plenty of time in Milan beforehand to completely prepare for it.

She really hadn’t meant to wait until the day before Gabriel would inevitably hear of her pregnancy to tell him. But with how busy and stressed out she had been, that was just how it had happened.

She tapped her fingers on the edges of her notebook, absently-mindedly looking out the window and thinking back to that terrifying moment.

Calling him had been one of the scariest and hardest things she had ever done in her life. Granted, it  _ had _ been a while since she had transformed. Maybe that had something to do with her seeming lack of courage.

His voice had been cold and void of all emotion just like she had expected. And if he was at all surprised by her news, he didn’t express it. 

Heck! It was almost as if they had been talking about some kind of business transaction - not the fact that he was about to be having his first grandchild!

Honestly, the only thing  _ good _ that had come from that conversation was the fact that he had asked for them to no longer speak using such “useless” honorifics. “We share a last name,” he had said. “It will be easier if we speak to each other using our first names.”

Easier indeed. Marinette huffed, lazily watching the clouds slowly pass by below. She suspected he just didn’t want to accept the fact that she was actually married to Adrien. Saying the words Mme. Agreste was most likely like poison on his lips. A complete blasphemy by his standards.  _ He _ had never approved of their marriage. Why would he honor the name that had come with it?

“Attention passengers,” the flight attendant’s voice projected over the intercom. “We will be arriving at our destination in five minutes. Please everyone, remain seated and buckle your seatbelts.”

_ Five minutes. _ Marinette tucked her notepad back into her bag, suddenly feeling a bit lightheaded.  _ You can do this, Marinette. Just breathe! _

╔═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╗

Ladybug had never been the one to make mistakes in battle. That just wasn’t her thing. She had the freaking power of luck on her side for Pete’s sake. Chat was the unlucky one. He was the one always being hit by the akuma’s attack, not Ladybug.

At least, that was what Adrien had always thought.

But today had proven that Ladybug - oh, his sweet, amazingly awesome Ladybug - welp, she wasn't perfect after all.

Not only had she managed to be struck by Time Stealer’s attack straight away (Adrien’s didn’t count because he had allowed himself to get hit on purpose), but she had completely ignored the Akuma and forgotten about her obligation to take care of him once he reverted into civilian.

_ Okay _ , Adrien conceded. It hadn’t helped that he teased her when she admitted to not having figured out Time Stealer’s actual weakness (which was the fact that it took a significant amount of time for his power to recharge after sending someone an extreme distance into the future or the past, by the way). But come on! How was  _ he _ supposed to know that for the first time in four years of working together that his words would finally manage to make her flustered.

Alright. Maybe that last part was a bit of a lie. She had been acting strange ever since she had stepped out of Bunnix’s portal. And maybe just a tiny little part of Adrien wanted to see the difference in her new reactions. Clearly, her discovering his identity had been a good thing.

Right?

“Have a good afternoon, Chat Noir,” the hospital receptionist greeted him as he headed toward the door. Walking Thomas, previously known as Time Stealer, all the way to his wife’s hospital room hadn’t been exactly what Adrien had wanted, but the poor man had gotten more and more frantic with each passing second. With that state of mind, Adrien doubted he would have been able to find the room on his own. And heaven knows, they didn’t need the same man to be akumatised twice in the same day.

He strung his fingers through his hair as he finally made it back outside. 

Ladybug was waiting for him.

Ladybug.  _ The  _ Ladybug - queen of secret identities and only seeing each other for business - had actually agreed to meet with him.

And to be quite honest, Adrien was a mess!

He had tried to hide it - to play it cool. Flirt with Ladybug a little. It wasn’t a big deal that she had somehow figured out he was Adrien.

Except, well, that was a complete lie.

He may as well have been dying inside.

Ever since she had first said his name, his entire body had been burning, feeling as if tiny little insects were marching and fluttering all over his insides.

Because his Lady, the love of his life, the guardian of all the Miraculous and of all their secrets.  _ She _ had called him Adrien.

And  _ now _ she was actually planning on telling him  _ everything _ ?

Because that was what she had said. She would go and recharge Tikki, and after he had safely delivered Thomas, Adrien was supposed to find a quiet place to talk to her. And she had promised to tell him everything.

Adrien’s stomach rolled as her words continually replayed in his mind. 

_ Everything. _

He rounded the corner, boosting himself to a nearby rooftop, hurriedly scurrying from building to building so as to not be followed by the paparazzi. 

_ Everything. _

The rushing air lashed at his cheeks and the midday sun illuminated everything.

_ Everything! _

What the heck did that even mean?

Was she just planning on telling him what happened in the future? Or had she meant she was going to tell him _everything_ , everything?

Adrien’s head was spinning, making it harder and harder for him to breathe. He stopped running, finally taking a moment to let in his surroundings. 

_ Of course _ . He leaned against his baton, panting.  _ Why not? _

Dropping down to the open courtyard, Adrien couldn’t help but to snicker. He wasn’t sure what exactly had led him to this destination, but for some reason he couldn’t ignore the feeling of its significance. 

_ Well, better now than never.  _ He clicked the button on his baton to call his Lady.

It was time to learn everything.

༺═──────────────═༻

“I’m here, Kitty,” Marinette turned her screen around to show Adrien the school courtyard below. “I’ll see you in just a second.”

With that, she closed her yoyo, placing it back on her hip and let out a deep breath. Chat Noir was sitting on the bench just under the terrace where she currently stood. Marinette wasn’t quite sure why Adrien had chosen their former school to meet up, but she figured since it  _ was _ a weekend, and was pretty well closed off from prying eyes, it actually kind of was the perfect location.

“This is it, Tikki,” she bounced on her heels, speaking more to herself since she hadn’t detransformed yet. “I’m going for it.”

_ I’m finally going to make Adrien Agreste mine. _

She closed her eyes, her breathing controlled, but not quite silent. “Tikki, spots off.”

With a flash of pink, her transformation fell and Tikki appeared smiling in front of her.

“Oh Marinette,” she whispered, “I’m so excited for you!”

“Ladybug?” Adrien’s voice wafted from below. “Is that you?”

“Can you take care of the cameras, please,” Marinette whispered, batting her lashes at Tikki. “I’m standing in a blind zone right now, but I’d rather keep the rest of this little rendezvous a secret.”

“Of course,” Tikki saluted, “got it covered.”

Nodding her head in thanks as the deity flitted away, Marinette took in another deep breath. 

She could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Patience had never really been Chat Noir’s thing.

And honestly, she was done with waiting.

༺═──────────────═༻

The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” had never really deterred Adrien. If he wanted to check on something, he sure as heck wasn’t going to let a silly little superstition dictate his actions. 

Sure he had sometimes chosen to suppress his inquisitive instincts when it came to things such as honoring Ladybug’s desire to uphold their secret identities, but right now, for some  _ odd  _ reason, he no longer felt bound by that obligation.

Ladybug was somewhere on the balcony above him, and he had endured the lingering suspense of this conversation for too long already.

His heart slammed against his chest as he ran up the stairs.

Just one more second and he would be there: face to face with his lady.

All it would take was one more step. One small turn of the head and-

_ Boom! _

A body crashed into his, its small yet firm arms tightly wrapping around him.

“Oof!” Adrien instinctively muttered at the impact, barely managing to keep his balance and the both of them from falling down the stairs. “If I had known you would be this eager to hug me again,” he glanced down at the black haired head pressing against his chest, “I would have come up with a more  _ clawsome _ location than my collège

balcony for our little rendezvous, m’la-,” the girl in his arms peeked up at him, smiling.

No mask.

That's the first thing he noticed.

His throat tightened as everything inside him suddenly became void of all oxygen.

Blue.

Apart from realizing there was no mask, a pair of bright, dazzling bluebell eyes were the only thing in his focus. 

Ladybug's eyes. He smiled, getting lost in their gentle vastness. It was as if he were in the middle of a calm ocean. The serenity of the waters aiding his body once again allowing him to breathe.

Blinking, Adrien tried to take in the rest of her bare-faced features. Freckles dotted her nose, dancing onto the tips of her cheeks. His heart swelled. He had seen some of these freckles peeking beneath her mask several times before, but to finally be seeing every single one of them was such a surreal experience. 

Next, came her Starburst pink lips, and Adrien suddenly found himself wondering if they tasted anything like the candy.

Blinking once again, and trying desperately to push that last thought out of his head, all the pieces slowly morphed together. After all these years, Adrien was finally seeing Ladybug’s face. And it was so beautiful. So strikingly… familiar? 

His eyes widened as realization dawned on him.

He knew this face.

He had seen it every day throughout all of his years in collège and lycée.

“M-Marinette?” he muttered, his mind reeling in confusion. He had been so convinced that he had been looking at Ladybug. But- had he really been that desperate to see Ladybug that he had been willing to confuse her features with Marinette’s?

And just how had he not recognized her sooner? 

“Hi, Chat!” She beamed, squeezing him even tighter.

He scrunched his brow, looking at her a little closer.

No. He hadn't been imagining it. Marinette and Ladybug really did look astonishingly similar. 

“That was  _ you _ I heard up here?” He half-heartedly asked, losing himself in her eyes once again.

“Yep.” She giggled, suddenly dropping her embrace and stepping back shyly, effectively breaking Adrien’s gaze.

Instinctively, Adrien stepped forward. He needed to see more. How had he never noticed how much Marinette had looked like Ladybug before?

He froze, shaking his head as if trying to evict the preposterous thought that was forming within.

“I-I thought Ladybug was here.” Adrien deflected, scratching the back of his neck. Surely his mind was just playing tricks on him. While, certainly Ladybug and Marinette had some similar traits, that didn't mean anything. Did it?

“She was.” Marinette glanced to the floor, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

At just that moment, a ray of sun broke through the clouds, softly illuminating the already radiant girl in front of him, a slight breeze making a gentle dance partner with her loose hair.

Adrien’s breath caught in his throat as the intense desire to run his own fingers through her midnight locks to see if they were truly as silken as they looked suddenly overtook him. 

“D-Did you happen to see where she went?”

He swallowed, unable to ignore the ever-growing uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. 

“I did.” She slowly closed the space between them, batting her lashes up at him, as all the nerves in Adrien’s body turned electric - a response that, until this point, had only been elicited by Ladybug. 

But now, something was completely different.

Marinette.  _ She _ was different.

“Could you please tell me where she went?” He searched her eyes for an answer.

Those large, familiar bluebell eyes. 

His heart stuttered and his breath hitched.

Ever since he had realized where he had inadvertently landed, Adrien knew he had ended up at Collège Françoise Dupont for a reason.

Because that was where they had met as civilians, wasn’t it?

“I think you already know the answer to that question, judging from your expression.” She timidly reached for his bell, fumbling with it between her fingers.

It was something Ladybug often did anytime she was nervous around him, and Adrien hated to admit that he had placed her in that position more often than he cared for. As he had gotten older, he had become more and more restless with the angst of their relationship, and he had, more often than not, been apt to sweep Ladybug into his arms and overly express his not-so-hidden emotions.

It had always ended the same: Ladybug nervously playing with his bell as she gently tried to let down his feelings.

But she had been right.

Because after all this time, he had failed to recognize her as the amazing friend that has always been right there beside him. He hadn’t deserved her love any more than Adrien had been willing to give it.

His eyes had only ever been for Ladybug, and due to that fact, he had been blind in seeing the Ladybug that was right in front of him.

“Of course it’s you,” he caressed her hand on top of his bell. “We’re such idiots.”

“Stop it.” Marinette’s eyes softened. “I know what you’re thinking. And don’t you dare start blaming yourself for all these years of miscommunication.” She softly pressed her free hand against his cheek, making Adrien revel in the fact that there was finally no glove between them. “It’s just as much my fault as it is yours, and I’m not about to let your mind go down that road. Believe me, I spent enough time thinking about it when I discovered who you really were in the future. Regretting the past won’t help anything. And trust me when I say, this is how our reveal was supposed to happen.”

She smiled, removing her hand from his cheek and sliding her other from underneath his. Then, as if it were something commonplace between them, she slid her arms around his back, resting her head against his chest.

Adrien wanted to say something - to say  _ anything _ . But his thoughts were just too jumbled up in his head.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Ladybug was Marinette.

He had always been in love with Ladybug. That much was certain. But did he really feel the same way about the girl beneath the mask? And if the answer to that question was no, then how much of his love in the first place had been any more than simple misguided affection?

Adrien had to think, and he had to think fast. He took a deep breath, revelling in her familiar, warm sugary scent.

Did he love Marinette?

He had always felt comfortable, safe around her even. But did he _ love _ her?

Marinette: the kind, the brave, the compassionate. Paris’s own everyday Ladybug, as he had called her. Marinette had been the one he had instinctively gone to when he had needed love advice. She was the girl with whom he had shared his first two dances. When he was lonely and heartbroken after Ladybug hadn’t shown up on that candlelit rooftop, Marinette was the one in whom he had found solace.

Time after time it had been Marinette who he had turned to, and it had been Marinette that he had always trusted to be there for him when all he had wanted to do was cry.. 

Yes, even as Chat Noir, he had turned to her more than once on his toughest of nights.

But why had it always been _ her _ . Adrien had never really thought about it much before. He had Chloe, Alya, Nino even. Why had it always been Marinette that had drawn him to her side?

Deep down, Adrien supposed, he always knew the answer. Even without knowing Marinette was Ladybug, his heart pulled him in her direction. She had been his comfort, his inspiration, his friend. And in those times he hadn’t required anything more. Because Marinette had always been exactly what Adrien needed.

Did Adrien Agreste  _ love _ Marinette Dupain Cheng?

Yes. His heart soared as he finally enveloped his arms around her. He supposed he did.

“I love you, Adrien Agreste.” She boldly stated as if in response to his revelation, lifting her head up off his chest, her sapphire eyes once again meeting his.

She loved him.

His body burst ablaze, searing heat seeming to pulsate throughout every nerve ending. 

“I’m in love with you,” she continued, as the fire flared even hotter. “I always thought I did. You were always that other boy.” She beamed up at him, giving Adrien a second to take that last part in. “But I didn’t really know what love was. Not like this.” 

Marinette took one hand from his back moving it to trace the outline of his mask, the trail of her fingertips like embers drifting across his forehead. “Learning you were Chat Noir, that changed everything. I know you might not feel the same way right now, but I can’t hold it in.” She rested her palm against his cheek. “I have to tell you.”

She paused, her eyes and hand dropping to his chest.

“No. Ladybug has to tell you.”

Her arm fell to her side, leaving the other pressed firmly against his back. 

“Tikki,” she called on her kwami, saying the magical phrase to elicit her transformation.

“Chat Noir,” she softly stated, her eyes pouring into his just as the breathtaking pink magic began. “I love you.”

And just like that, Adrien caught the back of her head with his hand, the other caressing at the side of her neck as he gently guided her lips towards his.

No more waiting.

No more wondering.

His lady had declared her love. And words were not enough to express  _ his _ .

  
  


╚═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╝

She couldn’t do this! 

Marinette gripped the armrests of her seat as the plane quickly descended. Her heart pounded erratically against her chest and her breaths were labored as she constantly had to remind herself,  _ Breathe in, breathe out _ .

She had made the correct decision in telling Gabriel.

Adrien had told her not to worry too much about it. This needed to happen.

_ Right? _

He hadn’t been referring to some other life altering decision that she had somehow missed? Had he?

Finally breaking through the clouds, Marinette could see the shimmering city below. It looked so beautiful in the midmorning light, almost as if it were sparkling in a welcoming effort to say,  _ Hi _ , _ enjoy your stay in Paris. You are going to have such a pleasant and wonderful time here in the city of love. Nothing bad ever happens here... _

But Marinette wasn’t fooled in the slightest. Because she knew, more than anyone else, that at any moment another Akuma could appear, laying everything to ruin. And she knew that somewhere in the vast city below a single man was on his way to  _ her _ house and there was nothing but pain and sorrow to follow.

She closed her eyes, remembering the despondent look in her husband’s gaze, hearing the gut wrenching sound of his hopeless wailing. Eight years had done nothing to quell those memories, and knowing that she was about to experience it all over again was enough to make her feel as if she were about to vomit.

Yes, Marinette had chosen this path knowing it was going to break Adrien, and even though she knew he would forgive her and that he asked for nothing to change, she had no idea how on earth she was going to prepare him.

Or herself for that matter. 

It had been one thing witnessing Adrien’s lamenting from a somewhat emotional distance, but now, having lived with him, being  _ married _ to him, falling deeper and deeper in love with him, she wasn’t sure she would be able to bear it.

All she knew was that she had to make sure Adrien knew just how much she truly loved him. 

Yes.

Marinette opened her eyes just in time to look out the window as the plane landed.

_ I’ll shower him with affection. And then… and then I’ll tell him everything. _

Because that was the only thing she could do, wasn’t it?

She was in the end game now - a few more treacherous, lamenting hours of the future she had once visited. Years of wondering, anguishing over what exactly must have happened, and now - it was her turn to live it. 

The plane slowed to a taxi and Marinette looked over to the observation platform. Of course Adrien was there, smiling and waving, looking very much like the child she still knew he was within. 

Marinette’s heart clenched and she wished, no, she longed for anything that she could do to protect that innocence.

But all she could do was let him hold onto it for just one more moment.

She would offer him one more blissful second.

And then, then she would watch, helplessly, as all walls crashed around him and she hopefully, found the courage to endure the moments of her future that she had most dreaded.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅


End file.
